Last night, we followed the Ferrara Boxing Night very closely, an event organized by Promo Boxe Italia at the Palabondi in Ferrara. The card featured several truly interesting bouts, but the standout contest was undoubtedly the Italian super bantamweight title fight between reigning champion Dario Sapone and 43-year-old challenger Alex Ferramosca, a former multiple-time Italian amateur champion.
After what can only be described as a flawless performance, Ferramosca emerged victorious, earning a unanimous decision from the judges (93-97; 92-98; 91-99).
The fight
The bell rings, and the southpaw from Prato takes centre ring in an opening round that is largely tactical, but still features some significant punches. Sapone circles around his challenger, trying not to present an easy target for his jab, a punch that looks highly effective from the very beginning.
Ferramosca comes out strong in the second round, landing a crisp and accurate right-left combination. Sapone seems unable to cope with his opponent’s ever-active jab, while Ferramosca also puts together some very fast two-handed combinations. The first two rounds are thoroughly dominated by the challenger.
The third round follows the same pattern and maintains the same pace. Sapone seems unable to box the way he wants to. He looks restrained and slower, and never manages to find his range.
At the beginning of the fourth round, the judges’ interim scorecards confirm the challenger’s dominance, with all three having awarded him the opening rounds. The crowd gets increasingly excited as Ferramosca fires off some truly venomous straight left hands. His performance so far has been impeccable.
In the fifth round, Sapone starts loading up on every punch. He is looking for a knockout because he cannot find a way to deal with his opponent, who takes control at several points and forces the champion back against the ropes.
The fight continues to follow a one-sided pattern. Ferramosca remains composed and confident, putting Sapone under serious pressure. The champion tries to respond, but relies almost exclusively on single, heavily loaded punches.
As expected, the scorecards announced after the eighth round show the challenger with a commanding lead. Sapone remains aggressive, but continues to rely on single punches, often thrown too wide. Credit must nevertheless be given to him for trying everything he can to turn the fight around.
Drawing on his vast experience, Ferramosca stays composed and clinical, leaving the champion no room to launch his attacks.
In the final round, Sapone comes out extremely aggressively. He knows that only a knockout can save his title, but Ferramosca keeps slipping his punches, making him miss and quickly firing back. His technique and conditioning are clearly superior to those of his opponent.
Ferramosca wins deservedly and convincingly by unanimous decision. At 43, he captures the Italian title and delivers a boxing lesson not only to his opponent, who gave everything he had, but also to many fighters on the Italian boxing scene. His physical condition, despite being 43 years old, his technique and his composure, maintained right up until the final bell, were truly remarkable.
It was a virtually perfect performance, and all we can do is congratulate the new Italian super bantamweight champion. Chapeau, Alex!