Humor and self-irony have always characterized Paolo Vidoz, the talented heavyweight from Gorizia who turns 55 today. So, when after the KO loss against the giant Nicolay Valuev he had a titanium plate inserted in his jaw, it didn’t take him long to coin the nickname “Titanium Jaw” before swiftly resuming his chase of his dreams. A journey that began in 1988 with his amateur debut and was carried forward with his fine technique, which allowed him to keep even physically imposing giants under control.
In the amateurs, perhaps only the final spark was missing to etch his name into the history books: a gold medal at the Mediterranean Games, a silver at the European Championships, two bronze medals at the World Championships and, above all, an Olympic bronze in Sydney 2000 certify his ability to consistently remain among the planet’s best. At the Olympic tournament in particular, he clearly defeated Nigeria’s Samuel Peter, who would later become a world champion in the professional ranks.
It was in the professional arena that Vidoz sought his ultimate breakthrough: first chasing the great American dream with a year and a half of battles on U.S. soil, then establishing himself in Europe and dominating the continental scene between 2005 and 2006. After losing the title, four attempts to win it back were unsuccessful, though at least one of them—the away bout in Turkey against local idol Sinan Samil Sam—deserved a better outcome, as it was thwarted by a dreadful hometown decision.
To remember, in his own words, the emotions he gave us and to wish him a heartfelt happy birthday, we reached Paolo by phone, retracing with him some of the highlights of his career as a talented heavyweight for our column “Great Italian Boxing”.
Your first major victories came during your amateur days: an exciting journey that led you through numerous honors to the Olympic bronze in Sydney. Who were the best boxers you faced as an amateur, and what was missing for you to reach the top step of the podium in that thrilling Australian tournament?
It’s been a long time since then, but the memories remain. Throughout my career I faced several fighters who later became world champions as professionals, such as Samuel Peter, whom I beat at the Olympics, but also Wladimir Klitschko, who defeated me twice. The biggest regret of my career, apart from not winning Olympic gold—which at the time was well within my reach—was never fighting for a professional world title. I’m not saying winning it, because in those years with the Klitschko brothers around there wasn’t much chance, but just disputing it would have been important enough. As for the final in Sydney, perhaps what went wrong was not listening to Patrizio Oliva. Harrison had studied me very well and was truly perfect tactically. I remember I had previously fought in a tournament in Greece, and when I won the final his coaches were there studying me. So they knew me perfectly, and in that Olympic final he landed some really great shots. He fought the perfect fight, while I should have changed tactics, but that’s easy to say in hindsight…
Your first steps as a professional were taken overseas, trying to establish yourself in the United States. What memories do you have of that experience?
I had a binding contract of 30 or 40 pages: going to the United States was mostly about chasing a dream, because logically it would have been better to accept the offer to go to Germany with Universum. Unfortunately, the American dream prevailed over logic and in the end it didn’t come true; I still built a career, but it didn’t develop the way it could have. My American manager DiBella later told me that I did well, because I managed to win the European title, and I appreciated that, but my expectations had been higher. As for those two years spent in America, what I remember most are the battles in the gym. Every training session there was a real fight, and I had to prove myself punch after punch, also because I was a European heavyweight and over there they considered the heavyweights to be “their territory.” The loss I suffered happened somewhat foolishly, due to poor preparation.
Once back in Europe, after the defeat to the massive Russian Valuev, whom you still managed to wobble, you achieved your most prestigious victory, against the towering German heavyweight Timo Hoffman, brilliantly outpointed in Germany. Was that perhaps the highest peak of your career?
Yes, that is absolutely the best memory I have of my career, because going to fight for a European title with only five or six days’ notice and winning it was truly an achievement. I had just entered the EBU rankings thanks to matchmaker Alessandro Ferrarini, but I was around twentieth place. When Hoffman’s opponent pulled out, since there were only a few days left before the match, all the boxers ahead of me in the rankings refused to step in, while I accepted right away, despite only five days’ notice, because I was training anyway and was in good shape. That was truly the turning point of my life and of my professional career.
Two successful defenses followed, one after a rather lackluster performance against Britain’s Michael Sprott and another far more convincing one against Germany’s Cengiz Koc. Can we say that inconsistency was the biggest brake on your ambitions at the top level?
Yes, I was always inconsistent. Unfortunately, over the course of my career I fought at the very peak of my abilities no more than four or five times. The rest were good or not-so-good performances, but rarely optimal. That is one of my regrets, not being able to reach top form more often, and to this day I can’t fully explain it—probably it was a mental issue. I trained seriously, yet I wasn’t always able to be focused and ready for the fight. But when I was really on point, I could step into the ring with anyone.
The main milestones of your sporting journey were achieved side by side with a special companion, Sumbu Kalambay, who after being a world champion as a fighter decided to pass on his knowledge as a trainer. How important was his guidance to you?
Having Kalambay in my corner was a great fortune, because he taught me a style of boxing that was perfect for my characteristics. I still clearly remember the combinations he made me practice in the gym: he was truly a very important figure in my career. I will never stop thanking him, because it’s also thanks to him that I achieved what I did. I know he is now working for the national team and doing an excellent job; I hope the young fighters listen to his advice, because he really is a well of technical knowledge. Moreover, he is not only an expert in straight-line boxing, which he himself preferred as a fighter, but he can also give valuable advice on how to fight at mid-range and close distance: his repertoire is complete.