As soon as the news broke that Dario Morello will travel to London on August 22 to face local hero George Liddard in an attempt to capture the European middleweight title, many Italian boxing fans immediately began expressing their concerns about the home advantage factor. A widespread argument circulating on social media — one that has gained many supporters — claims that in boxing, the only way to win away from home is by scoring a knockout. Boxing history, however, offers countless examples proving the opposite. Today we present ten of them, all involving Italian fighters who won on points in their opponent’s homeland.
Nino Benvenuti vs Emile Griffith (1967 and 1968)
The entire trilogy between Nino Benvenuti and Emile Griffith took place in New York State, yet this did not prevent the Italian fighter from winning the first and third encounters on points, giving him a two-to-one advantage in the final record of their rivalry. Aware that a purely defensive or evasive approach would probably not appeal to American judges, Nino fought with tremendous personality, contesting the center of the ring against his highly regarded opponent and delivering exciting performances for the crowd. A courageous approach that was rewarded by the official scorecards twice out of three.
Vito Antuofermo vs Eckhard Dagge (1976)
Antuofermo had to travel to Berlin to capture the European super-welterweight title, accepting the challenge of facing the physically imposing German Eckhard Dagge in front of around seven thousand hostile fans. The explosive aggression of the Italian fighter, who as usual imposed a relentless and exhausting pressure style, proved too difficult for the home favorite to handle. Dagge finished the fight exhausted and battered, forced to surrender his precious belt to the Italian fighter from Palo del Colle, who had emigrated to the United States.
Luigi Minchillo vs Maurice Hope (1982)
It was not easy for Luigi Minchillo to find the right answers to the tricky boxing style of former world champion Maurice Hope, who, with his southpaw stance, experience and dangerous counterpunching, built a lead during the first part of the fight. The endless heart of the “Warrior of the Ring,” however, made a historic and emotional comeback possible inside the legendary Wembley Arena. Marching forward relentlessly and displaying outstanding conditioning, Minchillo turned the fight around on the scorecards and pushed his opponent close to defeat in the final minutes.
Maurizio Stecca vs Fabrice Benichou (1992)
When Stecca traveled to France to face Benichou, few people believed he could pull off the upset. The Italian boxer was considered to be in the twilight of his career, while his opponent had an excellent résumé in terms of titles won and quality of opposition. Maurizio, however, ignored the unfavorable predictions and refused to be discouraged even when a hook from his opponent dropped him in the opening round. Starting from the second round, he began creating a masterpiece of his own. Despite fighting away from home, two of the three judges recognized the Italian’s superiority, allowing him to return home victorious.
Gianfranco Rosi vs Gilbert Dele (1993)
The generous decision that awarded Rosi the victory in Monaco during his first fight against Frenchman Gilbert Dele generated significant controversy. Gianfranco chose to answer in his own way, traveling to France for the rematch in order to prove that he could win even in an environment favorable to his rival. While in the first fight the Italian had fought cautiously and conservatively, in the rematch he surprised everyone with a determined performance as a pure aggressor. Dele, who probably did not expect to be attacked relentlessly from the opening bell, found himself confused and overwhelmed, suffering a severe beating. Fortunately, two of the three judges noticed it.
Stefano Zoff vs Julien Lorcy (1999)
The night Stefano Zoff stepped into the ring in Le Cannet to challenge Frenchman Julien Lorcy for the WBA lightweight world title, he wrote a genuine manual on how to win away from home. The “Pirate of Monfalcone” never stopped attacking like a steamroller, not even when his advantage on the scorecards appeared comfortable, and he produced a dominant final round that removed any doubt about the identity of the winner. Zoff returned home with the belt around his waist, despite the disgraceful unfavorable scorecard submitted by Venezuelan judge Antonio Requena.
Cristian Sanavia vs Markus Beyer (2004)
Sanavia entered the fight as a heavy underdog with bookmakers, but after watching several videos of world champion Markus Beyer, he became convinced that he had all the tools necessary to triumph on German soil. His belief proved correct: Cristian delivered one of the best performances of his career and had the great merit of finishing the fight strongly, producing a magnificent final round that most likely made the difference on the scorecards, giving him a narrow but sufficient margin to raise his hands in victory.
Simone Maludrottu vs Karim Quibir (2004)
The Madrid clash between Maludrottu and Quibir, contested for the European bantamweight title that the Italian had won just over a month earlier, was a fiery battle that remained extremely close for several rounds. However, the final four rounds fought at a relentless pace by the legendary “Boom Boom” tipped the balance in his favor, allowing him to remain European champion. Maludrottu later confirmed his superiority over the Spaniard in the rematch held two years later in Sardinia, winning even more convincingly.
Paolo Vidoz vs Timo Hoffmann (2005)
Only a madman would accept traveling away from home to face a two-meter-tall, nearly 120-kilogram giant with just five days’ notice. Yet that “madness” represented a genuine turning point in the career of the unforgettable Paolo Vidoz. Following the instructions of his trainer Sumbu Kalambay to perfection, Vidoz gave Hoffmann a true boxing lesson, winning on points in a fight that also saw him score a knockdown. Paolo himself described that victory as “the greatest memory I have of my entire career.”
Leonard Bundu vs Frankie Gavin (2014)
Bundu had everyone against him that night. This became immediately obvious when Belgian referee Daniel Van de Wiele allowed Gavin several extra seconds to recover after the devastating sixth-round knockdown. But the relentless Italian fighter did not allow frustration to affect him. He continued attacking relentlessly and eventually silenced the crowd at Wolverhampton’s Civic Hall with a thoroughly deserved victory. The spectacular combination that produced the knockdown — a left uppercut to the chin followed immediately by another left uppercut to the liver — was a true boxing classic.