Giorno: 4 Novembre 2021

The European Women’s Youth 2021 ended in beauty for Italy. In the ring of the ‘Mediterranean Sport Center’ in Buvda, Montenegro, Sophia Mazzoni won the gold medal in the 50 kg overcoming the Serbian Cirkovic 5-0. Mazzoni, a rising star in Italian women’s boxing and a member of Ferrara Boxe, literally dominated the match from the first to the third round, giving her opponent no chance. A triumph to which must be added the bronze medal won by Chiara Saraiello in the 75 kg. “Sophia Mazzoni – these are the words of Fpi President Flavio D’Ambrosi – has conquered a well-deserved gold medal, becoming European champion. She was immense, as is the entire Italian women’s boxing movement, which continually produces great athletes. Thanks to all the technical staff and, in particular, to Head Coach Valeria Calabrese”.

“Someone who acts like McGregor in our world is considered trash.” Daniele Scardina comes down hard on the Irish martial arts champion after the attack on Francesco Facchinetti. Guest of the program ‘105 Kaos’, on Radio 105, the boxer from Rozzano is very severe: “Sunday I woke up, I picked up the phone, I saw Francesco’s story and in our group I wrote ‘Tell me it’s a joke’. What happened is a terrible and senseless stuff. We boxers, we sportsmen are supposed to set an example. And we have to be aware that our body is a weapon. We have to be an example of redemption, of education, of unity, which a lot of people don’t do. A champion like Conor McGregor should be a great example since millions of fans follow him.”

Scardina says he’s very disappointed: “When I heard about this, a myth fell away. It can’t be explained, it can’t be explained. This sport gives you discipline, it gives you education, it gives you respect. Regardless of what can happen. What happened is something sleazy because we know all the sacrifice behind it. I would never accept a provocation, I would never allow myself to raise my hands against a person. My goal is to become a world champion, to be an example for young people, for older people, for people who have a dream and maybe don’t believe in it and see me as a reference point,” he continued. “My sporting goal is to be able to fight a fighter of the caliber of Canelo Alvarez. Now, however, I also have a great desire to fight McGregor…,” he concludes.

In the last chapter of the trilogy, we can affirm that Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder have represented their existential parabola. In Las Vegas one of the most dramatic fights of the last years took place: Fury deservedly won it, still world heavyweight champion for the WBC after having knocked down the American at the eleventh round. It’s the reaffirmation of a superiority appeared evident in the victory of the second match, in February 2020, after the draw of the first one.

During the presentation we wrote about extraordinary giants in the ring, but complex to the limit of fragility in life. From Fury’s depression that led to drug addiction, to Wilder’s anguish: the latter’s youthful fear of not being able to bear his little daughter’s illness (then fortunately healed), even his intentions to end it all. Rises and falls, just what was seen in the ring of the T-Mobile Arena. Five landings in total, Wilder above all lived the fight constantly on the edge of the abyss. The man from Alabama tried to hold up the world with one punch, he couldn’t. Despite the work of new lieutenant Malik Scott, he did not magically become Muhammad Ali at age 35. His boxing is pure power, but there is little else. He has only one shot, the right, one of the most devastating ever. But he goes on only with that: it seemed to be enough when in the fourth round he hit Fury, landing him twice. But once Gipsy King, the king of the gypsies as he likes to be called (he comes from a nomadic family that arrived from Ireland and stopped in Manchester), has overcome the storm, the match has taken an unequivocal turn.

First “Tiger Eyes,” then the excellent Abbes. Italy took its big renown. “Eyes of the tiger” is the battle name of Salvatore Cavallaro. Abbes, whose last name is Mouhiidine, is a boy of Moroccan father and mother from Irpinia. On the ring of the Stark Arena of Belgrade they have conquered the access to the semifinals of the championship of the world Elite of boxing. It was from the review of Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2013, that Italy (out of the Tokyo Games in the men’s field, never happened from Antwerp 1920, but that even in Rio 2016 had not combined anything), did not win a podium at the world championships. The last standard bearers had been Clemente Russo (gold), Roberto Cammarelle and Domenico Valentino (bronze).

Kazako, Nurkamat Rays, era l’avversario di Cavallaro. Il siciliano, dopo un match semplicemente sensazionale nel turno precedente contro il francese Fendero, si è ripetuto. Era stato l’ultimo italiano ad essere escluso dall’Olimpiade, beffato per una manciata di punti nel complicato intreccio del ranking dopo che la pandemia aveva ridotto le possibilità di qualificazione mediante torneo. Venticinque anni, atleta delle Fiamme Oro, corona una carriera che lo vede primeggiare ad alti livelli sin dal 2011, quando si prese il bronzo ai mondiale juniores. Il match con Rays è stato duro. Il kazako ha cercato, un po’ come fatto dal precedente avversario di Cavallaro – Fendero – il colpo pesante: ha fatto male in qualche circostanza, soprattutto nel secondo ed a tratti nel terzo round, quello decisivo, dopo che il siciliano nel primo aveva gestito molto bene la situazione con notevole scelta di tempo. I momenti più sofferto nel terzo round, quando l’incontro è diventato una vera e propria battaglia. Il kazako ne è uscito con una ferita all’arcata sopraccigliare, entrambi nel sono usciti con un punto di penalità, quel che è conta, Cavallaro ne è uscito vincitore per 3-2. Ora in semifinale, contro il cubano Hernandez Martinez,dovrà semolicemente superare se stesso.

Salvatore Cavallaro’s glass is still almost full. A world bronze after 8 years of abstinence of the entire Italian movement, is a significant and encouraging. All this, of course, with the hope of going further in the evening, when in the 92 kg category will play the access to the final the Irpinian-Moroccan Abbes Mouhiidine. Cavallaro in the semifinal against Yoenlis Hernandez Martinez confirmed his alias, ‘tiger eyes’. He was not afraid to go for it despite knowing that the weapons to scare his opponent were not many. The problem for Cavallaro was Hernandez, who confirmed his superior level: technical, fast and, if necessary, quite powerful.

All qualities that Hernandez showed in three rounds in which he did not walk, forced to the maximum attention by the constant advance of the Sicilian. The Cuban’s left jab, moreover superior in extension, has been the blow that during the first two rounds has made the difference. Down 20-18 on all the 5 cards, Cavallaro has however wanted to leave the world championship with his head held high trying the impossible in the third round. He didn’t succeed, on the contrary it was Hernandez who, starting to use more frequently his right hand, in some cases even at first sight, legitimized his victory. In the end, a severe but fair verdict: 5-0, four 30-27 and even a 30-26. But no regrets: for a boxer who had hoped for a long time in the Olympics through the complicated calculations of the ranking to then be mocked for a fistful of points, and who last August had been operated on the elbow of his left arm, this bronze has a special weight.