Yesterday, Milan once again breathed the atmosphere of major boxing nights, transforming itself for one evening into the epicenter of Italian boxing. The event, promoted by Opi Since 82 and broadcast live on DAZN, featured several interesting fights. The ring at the Centro Pavesi hosted the entire stable of the Cherchi brothers’ promotion. The highly anticipated main event was the WBO International middleweight title fight between Italy’s Giovanni Sarchioto and Spain’s Ezequiel Gurria.
Sarchioto, a 28-year-old from Anzio, entered the ring with a record of 13 wins and just one defeat. Giovanni has long been regarded as one of the brightest prospects in Italian boxing, dating back to his early days with the national team. Gurria, slightly older at 33, came in with a record of 21 victories and 4 losses and had previously been Spanish champion in two weight classes.
It was Sarchioto’s night in every possible way. The Italian won on points after delivering a technically, tactically, and athletically flawless performance.
The fight recap
The atmosphere was tense as the opening bell rang and both fighters immediately entered a cautious feeling-out phase. They relied heavily on the jab, kept a low pace, and remained fully focused on studying each other.
Around the middle of the round, Giovanni took control of the center of the ring, pushed the Spaniard toward the ropes, and began targeting the body.
The tactical battle continued in the second round as well, although Sarchioto maintained control of center ring while Gurria appeared to adopt a waiting strategy, staying with his back near the ropes and replying with isolated punches.
Sarchioto was able to land fast and powerful combinations. Giovanni looked extremely confident and highly focused.
The fight suddenly came alive in the third round. Gurria tried to attack, but Giovanni became highly aggressive whenever he trapped his opponent on the ropes, continuously punishing the body. The boxer from Anzio showed excellent changes of rhythm, while the Spaniard appeared slightly too passive.
The fourth round began with a truly aggressive Sarchioto, who dramatically shifted the momentum of the fight. He made the Spaniard feel his power until eventually dropping him to one knee after a hard combination. Gurria got back up, but continued to suffer under the Italian’s pressure, and the bell saved him from a difficult situation.
Even in the fifth round, the former Spanish champion seemed deeply affected by Giovanni’s power and tried to stay away from him. However, the Italian’s pressure, combined with a solid jab, was becoming exhausting for Gurria.
At the start of the sixth round, Giovanni exploded out of the corner with fast and powerful combinations, showcasing his entire arsenal: left hook, right uppercut to the chin, straight right hand. Sarchioto looked extremely confident this evening. His opponent occasionally managed to land accurate single shots, but they did not seem enough to contain Giovanni’s power.
The Lazio fighter came out again for the seventh round appearing to execute perfectly the instructions given to him in the corner by Giacobbe Fragomeni. He cut off the Spaniard’s movement, stayed active behind the jab while constantly changing rhythm, and Gurria struggled to contain him. The Spanish boxer suffered, but refused to give up and managed to land two clean and heavy punches near the end of the round.
The script did not change in the eighth round either. Giovanni seemed unstoppable on this night. He kept moving forward while Gurria continued trying to counter him, retreating and staying closed up, but whenever he touched the ropes Sarchioto became devastating.
In the ninth round Giovanni still looked extremely sharp, proving his excellent conditioning. Despite the difficulties and the suffocating pressure from his opponent, Gurria showed great toughness, as neither fighter held back and they continued exchanging heavy punches.
The opening bell for the final three minutes sounded. Gurria accepted a toe-to-toe exchange, but a left hook sent him down to one knee for the second time in the fight. He got back up, and the two fighters continued trading brutally. Giovanni spent the final minute of the fight relentlessly attacking his opponent without pause, in a beautiful and incredible round that ended with another knockdown scored by the Italian just before the final bell.
The fight ended with a unanimous decision victory, the judges scoring it 99-88, 98-89, and 99-89. Giovanni Sarchioto is now the new WBO International middleweight champion.
Giovanni’s journey first took him to America and then through the Boxing Grand Prix tournament, where he suffered the only loss of his career. And now?
In the post-fight interview with DAZN, he stated that he feels ready for anyone and that he feels great.
He also mentioned Dario Morello, claiming that in his opinion Morello received every possible offer for a fight that ultimately never happened. We are now extremely curious to discover the next step for a fighter who, in the opinion of this writer, has already been for some time the best middleweight in Italy.