Less than two months remain until a major event for Italian boxing: on June 7, our heavy-handed compatriot Ivan Zucco will walk into the lion’s den to challenge for the prestigious EBU European Super Middleweight Title. Awaiting him at the Oakwell Football Ground in Barnsley (UK)—which for the occasion will no doubt turn into a roaring cauldron—will be British wrecking ball Callum Simpson, renowned for his overwhelming physicality and relentless pace inside the ring.
Zucco is fully determined to preserve his undefeated record and return home with the EBU belt. To pull off the feat, he’ll rely—among other qualities—on the destructive power of his punches, which have already stopped eighteen of his twenty-one professional opponents inside the distance.
Recently returned from Mexico, where he trained for six weeks in an effort to absorb some of the secrets of one of the world’s most respected boxing schools, the Italian athlete graciously agreed to answer Boxe Punch’s questions ahead of what promises to be a pivotal bout in his career.
Let’s start with the origins of your journey. At what age did you first step into a boxing gym, and what were your expectations at the time?
I first stepped into a boxing gym when I was nine or ten, after trying a bunch of other sports like karate, football, and basketball. My dad was a great boxer—he fought over a hundred times, was part of the national team, and competed in many important matches. Unfortunately, he had to stop young, around twenty-one or twenty-two years old, because of high blood pressure. At first, I didn’t have any big expectations: I started just to stay fit, for self-defense, and also to spend time with my father. My parents had separated a few years earlier, so it was also a way for me to see him more often.
Which moments from your amateur career do you consider most important for your development, and what pushed you to make the leap into the pro ranks?
The most important moments were when I won the Italian national championships in 2009 and 2011 and finished runner-up in 2010, 2012, and 2013. I also placed second at the 2015 Golden Gloves tournament. I realized it was time to turn pro around 2017—actually, I had my professional debut in December 2017, after competing in the Golden Gloves one more time and coming off a long layoff due to shoulder surgery. That’s when I knew I wanted to change everything and fully commit to this path.
Your KO ratio in the pros is around 85%, which is pretty remarkable, especially by Italian standards. Has power always come naturally to you, even when you were younger, or is it something you’ve developed over time through hard work in the gym?
I’ve scored a lot of knockouts as a pro, but even in the amateurs I always had heavy hands. Out of sixty amateur fights, I won over fifty, and ten to fifteen of those were by KO or TKO. Even in many of the others, my opponents took standing counts. I’m definitely lucky to have this gift, but I also train incredibly hard, including a lot of weight work, which only boosts my power. Plus, I’m a very consistent fighter: in addition to punching hard, I throw a lot of shots, and that helps wear down my opponents round after round.
The fight that first put you on the radar of Italian boxing fans was your Italian Title bout against Luca Capuano. What stands out most in your memory from that night?
Before the Italian Title bout against the great Luca Capuano, we were both undefeated. He had been an outstanding amateur, winning countless Italian championships. It was a highly anticipated and very tough fight. It’s one of the bouts I remember the most because it took place during the pandemic: we fought at the Allianz, but the arena was empty, so it was just me, my opponent, the judges, and our coaches, surrounded by deafening silence. Still, we knew the whole of Italy was watching us on DAZN, and that gave us a great feeling. I was super motivated because I wanted to fulfill my father’s dream of turning pro and winning the title. I managed to do it, and that made me really happy. From that point on, I started becoming known across Italy—although many insiders already knew me thanks to my solid amateur background.
In just under two months, you’ll fight in England for the European Title against local hero Callum Simpson, who—despite his height—likes to fight on the inside. Will you accept the close-range battle or try to take him out of his comfort zone with movement and long-range shots?
It’s true that Callum Simpson, even though he’s taller than me, likes to fight on the inside. If that’s his plan against me, then great—I’ll be waiting for him, no problem. I don’t think I’ll try to box from a distance, especially since he’s taller. If he comes forward, I’ll be ready to exchange and let him feel my power.
Your recent decision to train in Mexico for six weeks with super bantamweight Vincenzo La Femina drew quite a bit of attention. Do you think experiencing the Mexican boxing school will help you in what’s expected to be a high-intensity war?
Yes, training in Mexico was very helpful—mentally and physically. I was there with my friend and champion Vincenzo La Femina. We spent six weeks working hard. It wasn’t easy, but it’ll help me in the fight with Simpson, which is going to be a relentless war because he throws a lot of punches and keeps a high pace, just like me. So we’ll see who gives in first. The Mexican school teaches you to never quit: even when they take punches, they keep coming forward and keep punching—that’s what I’ll do too. We’ll put up a real fight in England, especially because to win over there, we’ll have to do more than enough—and we’re ready for that.
Have you already identified the ideal sparring partners to prepare for this big challenge?
For now, I’ll start sparring with friends and professional fighters from the Italian scene who can help me, choosing from the middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight divisions. In the meantime, we’re looking for sparring partners who can mimic my opponent’s style, although it’s not easy, since there aren’t many tall fighters who apply constant pressure and fight at such a high pace. So I’ll work with different types of boxers, but what I really want to focus on is improving my timing and reflexes. In my opinion, Simpson isn’t a boxer who relies on a lot of strategy—he just comes forward and throws a lot of shots to wear you down. It would be a different story if I were facing someone who moves in and out, counters, times you… Not that Simpson can’t do that, but I think his style is different. So I’ll be doing a lot of conditioning and focusing especially on defense.
As we wish you the best of luck for your upcoming challenge, we’d like to get your prediction on a fight we’re sure you’ll be watching with interest, as it’s in your weight class. Who wins in September: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez or Terence Crawford?
That’s a tough one—it’s like choosing between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Canelo is my idol, but Crawford is one of the best fighters in the world. It’ll be a very tough fight for both, but I see Canelo as a slight favorite because of his punching power and his high boxing IQ. Of course, Crawford has an incredibly high IQ too, but if I have to choose, I’ll go with Canelo—if only because he’s my idol.