A routine six-round bout involving a debuting professional is not the kind of event that usually makes headlines. And so, a blatant and shocking injustice risks slipping under the radar, without repercussions or consequences for those responsible. The only one who pays the price is the young fighter who suffered it—his sacrifices and dreams undermined by incompetent judges. That is why I decided to dedicate an article to welterweight Ali Marcel Valdevit.
The 27-year-old Ali Marcel is a pupil of former world champion Massimiliano Duran. He trains in Ferrara and, three days ago, experienced the great emotion of his professional debut—an emotion unfortunately ruined by a senseless outcome.
For his entry into the professional ranks, he faced Roman fighter Cristian Sabbatini, a southpaw with decent power who enjoys close-range exchanges, holding a record of two wins and one loss. The setting was the Memorial Duran, an event dedicated to the memory of the great Juan Carlos Duran, whose sons, Massimiliano and Alessandro, carried on the family tradition with distinction in the ring.
It was not an easy start to the evening for Valdevit, as Sabbatini’s aggression and determination immediately gave him a taste of the harsh reality of professional boxing. The first round, in which the home fighter was backed onto the ropes more than once, served as a wake-up call, igniting the spark of a comeback in the “debutant.”
From the second round onward, everything changed. Valdevit learned quickly, shook off the tension of his debut, and interpreted the fight brilliantly, showcasing his best qualities while neutralizing those of his opponent.
The Duran-trained fighter moved well on his feet, avoided being a stationary target, absorbed most of his opponent’s wide hooks on his gloves, and fired back with sharp, precise, and fast punches.
Sabbatini never gave up, but being outclassed in terms of technique, reactivity, and distance control, he had no choice but to rely on aggression and try to drag his opponent into a brawl. Those attempts proved ineffective: Valdevit did not fall into the trap, and Sabbatini’s excessive zeal only earned him a point deduction from the referee.
Round after round, the superiority of the home fighter became increasingly clear and undeniable. When the final bell rang, the spectators at the Palapalestre awaited the official decision, convinced it was a mere formality and that Ali Marcel’s hand would soon be raised.
The astonishment, when Valdevit was declared the loser, was evident even on the face of Cristian Sabbatini himself, who raised his opponent’s hand and clasped his hands together as if apologizing for the injustice suffered.
Those who know me are aware that I am usually very cautious when speaking of “robberies” in boxing verdicts. I have always maintained that scoring a boxing match involves an inevitable degree of subjectivity and that it is wrong to cry scandal every time the judges’ decision does not match our impression.
This time, however, we have gone far beyond a simple difference of opinion. Personally, taking into account the official point deduction, I had Valdevit ahead by five points. To ensure I wasn’t mistaken, I consulted several knowledgeable individuals present at ringside, who confirmed my assessment.
Faced with such an incoherent verdict, one naturally wonders whether there will be consequences, whether anyone will take responsibility for the mistake, and whether measures will be implemented to prevent such situations from happening again—or at least to make them less frequent. In order to address these questions, I contacted FPI federal councilor Andrea Locatelli, head of the professional sector, who kindly agreed to discuss the matter.
Locatelli had not seen the fight but acknowledged receiving numerous reports about the incident and stated that CESAG (the Executive Commission for Referees and Judges) had already begun acquiring and reviewing the footage. He also emphasized his firm belief in the good faith of the judges, while recognizing that even in the absence of intent, there can still be fault. The councilor admitted there is room for improvement in raising the quality and accuracy of decisions and promised to push for effective initiatives within the FPI.
Following Locatelli’s suggestion, I also contacted Enrico Apa, CESAG coordinator, asking for his opinion and clarification on potential measures.
Apa did not shy away from the discussion and first clarified some key aspects of the regulations. Decisions, regarding the subjective scoring of rounds by judges, cannot be altered after the fact.
At present, it is impossible to overturn a result even in the case of a “technical error,” meaning when a referee or judge has violated the rules. In such cases, the commission may declare a “No Contest,” but cannot award the victory to the wrongly defeated boxer.
Having established that Sabbatini’s win over Valdevit will remain on the fighters’ records, Apa added that CESAG constantly evaluates the performance of referees and judges and holds disciplinary power over those who deliver inadequate performances. Sanctions may include reassignment to lower-level bouts or even suspension, depending on the severity of the error.
This is work carried out behind the scenes, week after week, largely unknown to the public—an enormous task given the volume of material reviewed after each weekend across both amateur and professional boxing.
Enrico Apa, whom I thank for the frank conversation, assured me that the Valdevit-Sabbatini bout, due to the attention it has generated, has been given top priority and that the footage will be reviewed as soon as possible.
At Boxe Punch, we hope that is indeed the case—and even more so, we hope that Valdevit will not be discouraged by what happened, but will return to the gym hungrier than ever. The young fighter showed solid technical and mental qualities and has all the tools to build an interesting professional career.
Anyone who watched his debut knows well that, regardless of what the official records say, his true record should now be 1-0. Our advice to Ali Marcel is therefore simple: don’t give up and try again, hoping for fairer treatment the next time he steps into the ring.