In the end, even Yassin Hermi was caught in the net of Dario Morello’s unorthodox boxing style. The charismatic “Spartan” got up from a knockdown and won a razor-thin points decision in the main event of the show promoted by TAF at the Centro Pavesi in Milan, being crowned the new Italian middleweight champion. The victory comes almost eight years after Morello captured the Italian welterweight belt back in July 2017. The unanimous decision was announced with the following scorecards: 96–94, 96–94, 95–94.
Yassin Hermi surprised many with his approach to the fight. Most expected the Tuscan boxer to storm the center of the ring from the opening bell and apply suffocating pressure to force his opponent into exchanges. Instead, Hermi did the exact opposite, moving cautiously and letting his rival make the first move.
Morello himself was probably caught off guard by being given the initiative and fell right into his opponent’s trap, launching a couple of reckless attacks. Hermi took advantage by landing a right hook that caught Morello off guard and sent him to the canvas, to everyone’s astonishment.
“Spartan” quickly realized he couldn’t afford any carelessness and immediately changed his tune, abandoning his initial boldness in favor of a more conservative approach, unleashing his lightning-fast left hook only when he was sure to land.
That very punch, the true trademark of the Bergamo fighter, briefly rocked Hermi in the third round, although Morello couldn’t follow up on the moment.
Having experienced the risks of a reckless approach firsthand, both fighters became more cautious, and the pace dropped in what turned into a chess match rather than an all-out war. Each man tried to draw the other out with feints and probing shots, holding back the real ammunition.
After a fairly even first half, Hermi tried to raise the tempo in an attempt to break away from Morello’s rhythm and disrupt his tactics. But in doing so, he ran straight into the usual left hook, which Morello fired off with perfect timing every time he sensed pressure.
What made the real difference for “Spartan” was his superior reactivity, allowing him to get the better of the close exchanges—dodging and countering a split second ahead of his opponent, then slipping away before Hermi could mount another attack.
Realizing he was slightly behind, Hermi finally let loose in the last two rounds, launching furious two-handed combinations. Morello continued to defend well, but his replies in the final six minutes became fewer and less effective, allowing the Tuscan’s late surge to put the result in doubt.
On my personal scorecard, with five rounds to each, I had Yassin Hermi ahead by one point due to the knockdown. But the bout was so close, with many hard-to-score rounds, that either man could have won without controversy.
The narrow margins on the judges’ cards in favor of Morello are therefore acceptable, though it’s striking that all three saw it the same way. From this writer’s perspective, Morello’s continuous spinning movements often end up hypnotizing even the judges, leading them to award him rounds where his offensive output is lacking.
What matters, in any case, is that Dario Morello has added another trophy to his collection and can now look ahead to new goals with renewed ambition and optimism. At this point, it would be truly intriguing to see “Spartan” defend the Italian title against Giovanni Sarchioto, one of the rising middleweights on the national scene—a matchup that could turn out to be fascinating.
Yassin Hermi, meanwhile, returns home empty-handed and disheartened, but he must not let this setback bring him down. Despite his young age, the Tuscan boxer put on a highly competitive performance against a true ring fox, and with a different set of judges, he could very well have won. If he keeps working hard in the gym, other opportunities to seize the Italian title he so diligently pursues will surely come his way.