Italian fighter Vittoria Parigi Bini and Spain’s Maria Luz Peral gave it their all to convince the judges of their superiority over the other, but neither succeeded and the bout held in Sequals, organized by Mario Loreni’s Promo Boxe Italia, ended in a draw. The European minimumweight title was at stake, but it remains vacant and will very likely be up for grabs again in a rematch between the two. These were the official scorecards after the scheduled ten rounds: 96–94, 95–95, 93–97.
The tactical script of the match was clear from the outset: Peral took control of the center of the ring and applied constant pressure, while Parigi Bini circled around her non-stop, trying to control the distance and land counter shots.
It was immediately apparent that the Italian’s tactical approach would come at the cost of a massive expenditure of energy: Parigi Bini covered miles in the ring to avoid being a stationary target and let her hands go every time the opponent stepped into range, pushing her lungs and muscles to the limit.
Peral’s strengths and weaknesses quickly emerged. The Spaniard brought relentless aggression, showing great physical strength and determination. However, by advancing in straight lines without moving her head or upper body, she left wide openings, and in the second round, Parigi Bini caught her flush several times with vicious counters.
Likely warned by her corner about her recklessness, the Spanish boxer found herself caught in between: her instinct told her to keep pressing forward, but the mistakes she’d made gave her pause. Parigi Bini took full advantage and kept executing her game plan built on constant movement and straight punches.
In the middle rounds, Peral gradually got back into the fight, found her rhythm, and landed more consistently. She reached her peak performance in the sixth round, which she fought full throttle, putting her rival under heavy pressure.
Parigi Bini, however, mounted an almost touching reaction: though visibly tired, she dug deep and produced a hugely spirited seventh round, which proved essential in halting her opponent’s momentum and, at least temporarily, dampening her enthusiasm.
Fatigue became the dominant factor in the chaotic final rounds. Peral kept pressing forward like a steamroller, forcing Parigi Bini at times to resort to holding tactics to slow her down. Still, the Spaniard landed very few clean and effective punches, making the judges’ job of scoring the action quite complicated.
In the end, the panel was split—one judge for each fighter and one even card—resulting in a draw.
It’s worth noting that in women’s boxing, the number of extremely difficult-to-score bouts is much higher than in the men’s game. This is due to the shorter round duration—just two minutes—and also the generally less explosive punches, whose real effectiveness can be hard to assess for an outside observer.
In this case, Maria Luz Peral caught the eye with her constant pressure and was clearly superior in terms of physical strength and close-range exchanges. Her tactical approach, however, left much to be desired, and her punching accuracy was quite poor.
As biased as it may sound—especially since it contrasts with the commentary from Brunelli and Duran—I must say I personally preferred the more orderly boxing of the Italian, to whom I would have given a very slight edge at the final bell.
Ultimately, the “third way” prevailed: a draw. And perhaps that’s the fairest result. Now the two fighters will be able to study the footage and plan the adjustments needed to do better if a rematch is finalized.
Peral will need to find a way to make her attacks less predictable, perhaps working on feints and upper-body movement during her advances. Parigi Bini, on the other hand, will have to manage her energy better so she can reach the final rounds in fresher condition—those rounds that often prove decisive in convincing the judges.