* Tiberio Mitri; Held Boxing Title as Trieste Tiger

Tiberio Mitri, 74, a former European middleweight boxing champion who unsuccessfully challenged Jake La Motta for the world title. Known as the Trieste Tiger during his boxing days, Mitri was the European champion in 1949-50 and again in 1954. He lost a decision to La Motta in a 1950b championship bout at Madison Square Garden in New York. Born in the northeastern Italian city of Trieste in 1926, Mitri started to box at the age of 13. He won the Italian title in 1948. Mitri tried his hand at acting after he quit boxing in the 1950s. He landed a few small roles, but his movie career never took off. After his glory years, Mitri fell on hard times. He was living in poverty in a tiny apartment, and he had Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. On Monday in Rome of injuries suffered when he was struck by a train. Police said Mitri was walking on the tracks and ignored a passenger train’s alarm.