A crucial week begins today for Italian boxing. The two most significant events involving our national fighters will see super middleweight Ivan Zucco and cruiserweight Claudio Squeo heading into the lion’s den to fight for hugely important titles. However, other Italian boxers will also be in action; here is a list of the must-watch bouts!
Saturday, June 7
Christian Gasparri vs Arblin Kaba – Italian Lightweight Title – Orbetello (Grosseto)
The Italian lightweight belt is currently vacant, and it will be contested by 25-year-old Gasparri and 30-year-old Kaba. For Gasparri, this will be the first opportunity of his career to win the national title, having so far only captured the IBO Youth Title. Kaba, on the other hand, is more experienced, with twice as many professional fights and a previous reign as Italian champion from 2019 to 2020.
Callum Simpson vs Ivan Zucco – EBU European Super Middleweight Title – Oakwell Football Ground, Barnsley (UK)
A huge opportunity for the unbeaten heavy-handed Italian Ivan Zucco, who will travel to England to take on the European champion and local hero Callum Simpson. The Brit, unusually tall for the weight class, is an extremely aggressive boxer who loves to fight at close quarters. Zucco will have to take advantage of that by landing his best shots from mid-range and avoid being dragged into an exhausting toe-to-toe battle. This clash promises to be explosive and extremely intense.
Sunday, June 8, 2025
Jai Opetaia vs Claudio Squeo – IBF Cruiserweight World Title – Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach (Australia)
A daunting challenge for the pressure fighter Claudio Squeo, who will step into the ring abroad against what many experts consider the best cruiserweight in the world. The odds are heavily against the Italian—his victory is being offered at 17-to-1 by bookmakers—but Squeo has strong belief in himself and will try to pull off a miracle and change his life forever. The early rounds could be extremely tough, given Opetaia’s tendency to throw everything from the start, but to keep his faint hopes of scoring the Upset of the Year alive, Squeo will need to grit his teeth, survive the storm, and hope to capitalize on a potential drop in pace from his rival as the rounds progress.
Inferno in Santa Croce: Turchi vs Volkov, Grandelli vs Rao, Balli vs Dioual – Florence
Piazza Santa Croce in Florence will host a spectacular boxing night on Sunday, organized by OPI Since 82 in collaboration with Leone 1947. Three international titles will be on the line, with the main event featuring local star Fabio Turchi, ready to revive his career against Latvian fighter Milans Volkovs. Two exciting Italian derbies complete the undercard: featherweights Francesco Grandelli vs Simone Rao and super middleweights Othmane Dioual vs Leonardo Balli.