Joey Giardello, left, and Rubin Carter battle in their 1964 bout. (Associated Press, file)

Boxer Joey Giardello, who held the middleweight championship for nearly two years in the early 1960s, died Tuesday at the age of 78.

No cause of death was given for Giardello, who had been living at a nursing home in Cherry Hill, N.J.

Giardello fought for nearly 20 years and his championship came when he was 33 years old. He won the 160-pound title with a 15-round unanimous decision over Dick Tiger on Dec. 7, 1963. He successfully defended the title against Rubin "Hurricane" Carter before losing it to Tiger in late 1965.

The Philadelphia-based fighter retired in 1967 with a record of 100-25-8, with 33 knockouts.

Giardello in 2000 threatened Canadian film director Norman Jewison and the makers of Hurricane with a lawsuit for implying that Carter was unjustly denied a decision in his fight with Giardello. In fact, Giardello won by comfortable margins on the scorecards of three, five, and six points.

Giardello agreed to an out-of-court settlement.

Born Carmine Tilelli in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1930, he turned pro in 1948. Before winning the title, he fought the best of his era, including Johnny Saxton, Georgie Benton, Gene Fullmer, Billy Graham, and Terry Downes.

In the fight before he captured the title, Giardello beat an aging Sugar Ray Robinson.

Giardello was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y., in 1993.