Friday, February 26, 2021

Scardina Stops Nunez In 8 To Win European Super-Middleweight Championship

 

Super-Middleweight Daniele Scardina scored a hard fought eighth round stoppage over former Spanish Super-Middleweight champion Cesar Nunez  to win the vacant European Super-Middleweight championship on Friday night at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy. Nunez applied steady pressure on Scardina from the outset and had successfully particularly early in the fight in backing Scardina against the ropes and landing combinations to the body and landing hooks to the head.

 

As the fight progressed, Scardina was able to get some separation between himself and Nunez where behind a consistent jab, he was able to land combinations of his own and turn his body at angles to avoid Nunez as he came forward. This strategy proved to be effective as Nunez had increased difficulty in getting Scardina on the ropes where he could be most effective. In round eight, a flush right uppercut to the head of Nunez staggered him and Scardina proceeded to set off a barrage of unanswered punches that forced the referee to step in and stop the fight as Nunez staggered and eventually fell to the canvas in a neutral corner. Official time of the stoppage was 2:55 of round eight. Daniele Scardina advances to 19-0, with 15 Knockouts. Cesar Nunez falls to 17-3-1, with 9 Knockouts.

 

Also on this card:

 

 Undefeated Welterweight Maxim Prodan scored a controversial tenth round stoppage of Nicola Cristofori. In what was a largely uneventful bout due to Cristofori’s constant lateral movement and light hitting style, Prodan scored a knockdown with a left hook that landed high on Cristofori’s head. While a fight largely absent of action, the end came in the tenth and final round when Prodan landed a left hook to the jaw that caused Cristofori to stumble. With Cristofori against the ropes a light right hand from Prodan strangely caused the referee to step in and stop the fight. The stoppage was met with an irate response from Cristofori and his corner as it appeared he was ahead on the scorecards. Official time of the stoppage was 1:50 of round ten. Maxim Prodan advances to 19-0-1, with 15 Knockouts. Nicola Cristofori falls to 11-3-2, with 1 Knockout.

 

In a battle for the Italian Welterweight championship undefeated Nicholas Esposito scored a hard fought ten round unanimous decision over former two-time Italian champion Tobia Loriga to when the championship. Esposito was extremely aggressive in what was a grueling fight from the opening bell. The bout saw several heated exchanges between the two fighters in virtually every round, but the difference proved to be not only Esposito landing the harder punches, but also periodically snapping Loriga’s head back with uppercuts and hooks. Although Loriga, who was in the midst of his second reign as Italian Welterweight champion, was more than willing to stand toe to toe and engage with Esposito, he could not land anything to turn the ebb and flow in his favor. All three official judges scored the bout 97-93 in Esposito’s favor at the conclusion of the ten round championship bout. Nicholas Esposito advances to 14-0, with 5 Knockouts. Tobia Loriga falls to 32-9-3, with 6 Knockouts.

 

Unbeaten Jr. Middleweight Mirko Natalizi scored a fourth round stoppage of Islam Teffahi. Despite landing the cleaner, harder punches from the outset, Natalizi had some difficulty early due to Teffahi being somewhat unorthodox trying to catch the rising Italian prospect with wide hooks as he came forward. Natalizi however, would bring an end to the fight by countering a wide hook from Teffahi with a perfectly timed straight right hand to the head that staggered Teffahi and sent him down to the canvas. The fight was stopped without a count. Official time of the stoppage was 1:50 of round four. Mirko Natalizi advances to 10-0, with 7 Knockouts. Islam Teffahi falls to 22-9-2, with 5 Knockouts.

 

Undefeated Featherweight prospect Vincenzo La Femina began the evening by scoring a six round unanimous decision over veteran Pablo Narvaez. For six rounds, this fight followed one pattern, and La Femina walking Narvaez backward, throwing and landing a full variety of offense to the body and head. La Femina’s offense of body punches, uppercuts, and hooks to the head continued until the final bell with Narvaez making it to the final bell. All three official judges scored the bout 60-54 in La Femina’s favor. Vincenzo La Femina advances to 7-0, with 3 Knockouts. Pablo Narvaez falls to 9-22-7, with 1 Knockout.

 

As has been a consistent theme of Boxing cards promoted by promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing’s Italian promotional branch and Italian promoter Salvatore Cherchi of OPI Since 82, this card featured a mix of prospects on the Italian Boxing scene at varying stages in their development, a bit of controversy, a grueling Italian championship bout in the Welterweight division, and finally a Super-Middleweight contender in Daniele Scardina becoming the European Super-Middleweight champion, which for European fighters, usually represents the last step before contending for a world championship.

 

Although Eddie Hearn’s global expansion of Matchroom Boxing has stalled over the last year due largely to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic, we are beginning to see the seeds his respective promotional branches in several rising prospects beginning to grow as fighters and may ultimately result in further growing Matchroom’s stable of world champions around the world. 

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.

 

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