Dario Morello is one of the most polarizing figures in Italian boxing. You either love him or hate him, with no middle ground. Some people scour the web for any post about him just so they can mock him, and even root against him when he faces foreign opponents; others hang on his every word, defend him with the tenacity of a criminal defense lawyer, and praise his boxing skills in terms we would normally reserve for the reincarnation of Nicolino Locche.
I prefer to stay away from both extremes. I sincerely believe that “Spartan” is a positive figure for Italian boxing because of the enormous media attention he is capable of generating. I greatly appreciate the spotlight Dario has managed to shine on the many all-Italian clashes he has been involved in, and I support him without hesitation whenever he represents Italy on the international stage. At the same time, I believe it is perfectly legitimate to comment with good-natured irony on some of his more colorful pronouncements, such as his new “action plan,” which I will discuss shortly, without that being treated as an act of lèse-majesté.
So let me explain the title of this article. It refers to a post that recently circulated on TAF’s social media channels outlining the next steps Morello intends to take in order to bounce back. The plan was drawn up following his heavy defeat in London at the hands of Britain’s George Liddard, who just over two weeks ago dominated our fighter in their European middleweight title bout, stopping him in eight rounds.
I read his list of “good intentions” and was left puzzled. In short, Morello intends to improve his physical conditioning, develop his technique so that he can be effective in the center of the ring as well as with his back against the ropes, and conduct himself like an athlete 365 days a year. In other words, he has discovered the obvious — and it took him 33 years.
Is it really possible that the Calabria-born fighter has only now realized the crucial importance of these aspects, all of which are well known to any novice taking his first steps in a boxing gym, and that until yesterday he believed he could do without them without giving up his dream of becoming European champion? Personally, I find it hard to believe that reaching “the age of Christ,” combined with Liddard’s punches, suddenly produced an epiphany. I tend to favor a different explanation.
Up to this point, Dario Morello has been a remarkably shrewd promoter of himself, building, day after day, a genuine army of fans to whom he has presented a certain narrative about his abilities in the ring. When I use the word “narrative,” I do not mean that the man lacks significant qualities, but rather that those qualities have been exaggerated beyond measure in the eyes of his aficionados, to the point of convincing a huge number of fans that Dario was technically head and shoulders above Liddard and that the Englishman would need the classic hometown decision to win the belt.
That narrative has often been amplified by the media. Anyone who watched recent TAF events on delay on Mediaset 20 will remember the words of Davide De Zan, who at times even went so far as to credit Morello with the best defense in the world. It is hardly surprising, then, that the way the fight at the Copper Box Arena unfolded left so many people bewildered and incredulous. The narrative is now in serious danger of falling apart.
Hence the need to create a new scenario for Spartan’s supporters to cling to. In this version of events, their hero lost only because he underestimated a few details, but he will soon come roaring back. By following the three points of his “action plan” to the letter, Morello will achieve the same effect Cell enjoyed in the Dragon Ball saga when he absorbed the two androids and transformed himself into the perfect being.
The real prospects, of course, are rather less spectacular. There is no doubt that adopting a more serious and professional approach between fights is a good idea and that Spartan can benefit from it as he seeks to make the most of the final years of his career. But expecting dramatic physical and technical improvements from a 33-year-old fighter seems highly unrealistic.
Minor adjustments aside, Dario Morello will remain the fighter we know: a very good boxer by Italian standards, with strengths and weaknesses, who can still quite legitimately harbor European ambitions. Whether those ambitions come to fruition will also depend on a little luck. The EBU belt is not always in the hands of opponents who are beyond his reach, and George Liddard, while no world-beater, is objectively a fighter whose level exceeds that of many present-day European champions. In fact, I would personally favor him against two of the current world champions, Aaron McKenna and Denzel Bentley.
For Spartan, the most sensible fight to get back on track now would be against Paolo Bologna. The two were already supposed to face each other in May, but a biceps injury Morello suffered in training caused the fight to fall through, leaving tensions running extremely high between the two fighters’ fan bases, who have never stopped bickering with each other on social media ever since. A domestic showdown like that would be a box-office hit, dominate media attention, and give the winner tremendous momentum to try his luck abroad.