In boxing, as in any other sport, becoming a world champion is an extremely difficult achievement. Even harder, however, is maintaining that status for years, piling up defense after defense against all kinds of opponents, often while being labeled as the underdog by experts. To stay on top over time, in fact, talent alone isn’t enough: you also need professionalism, a strong work ethic, and unshakable mental strength. These are all traits that allowed Gianfranco Rosi to become one of the most successful boxers in Italian boxing history.
When talking about the long and thrilling career of the super welterweight from Perugia, what stands out the most are the numbers: 6 wins for the Italian title, 4 for the European title, but most impressively, 13 successful world title fights—first with the WBC belt, then the IBF. This doesn’t even include the WBO title he won, which was later stripped due to a controversial doping case, even though the investigation ultimately confirmed the boxer’s good faith.
Rosi fought professionally for an incredible 27 years, collecting one achievement after another and often prevailing despite public skepticism. His unorthodox style, lacking knockout power but relying on timing, speed, and ring savvy, didn’t appeal to purists and condemned him to a permanent role as an outsider. He did suffer some setbacks, but unlike other athletes who mentally collapsed after a single failure, the Umbrian champion managed to bounce back from tough early stoppage defeats at the hands of power punchers Lloyd Honeyghan and Donald Curry, using those moments as fuel for future record-breaking triumphs.
On the day of his 68th birthday, I reached out to Rosi to wish him well and ask for his permission to republish this interview I conducted with him a few years ago, revisiting some of the key moments of his long journey between the ropes.
The first professional title you won was the Italian welterweight belt, taken from the dangerous Giuseppe Di Padova despite your lack of experience. How much did the passionate crowd in Perugia contribute to that overwhelming victory?
On paper, Di Padova was stronger than me: he had more experience and was very physically gifted. I was still developing, both physically and as a boxer, so I’d say that fight was my first little masterpiece: I won clearly, even forcing a stoppage, and it was a very meaningful victory. The crowd was important because we fought at the Quasar in Perugia, a large nightclub that was a major venue back then and was packed that night with Perugian fans. All those elements made that first victorious night a perfect cocktail for success.
Your winning streak, which earned you the European belt after the Italian one, came to a sudden halt with a brutal KO loss to Honeyghan…
The loss to Honeyghan came during a phase where I was ambitious enough to want to fight anyone, so it was a necessary step. Everyone knew Honeyghan was a physically strong fighter, but I had solid technique and quite a bit of experience on my side. It was a bit of a unique matchup, and they clearly prepared for it well: he landed a devastating right hand, which I took flush and I still remember it to this day. Very few could stay on their feet after a punch like that, and Honeyghan’s power was later proven on the world stage. He was a very powerful boxer, and in that fight he showed it fully.
After that setback, many saw you as the underdog against the Englishman Chris Pyatt, to the point that RAI commentator Paolo Rosi called it an “almost impossible task” before the fight. What was the key to neutralizing the dangerous British boxer and reclaiming the European Title in the new super welterweight division?
Of course, after losing the European title to Honeyghan, which was understandable since early experiences always come with question marks, winning against Pyatt became crucial for me, even though everyone knew he was also a powerful fighter. I’ve always faced boxers who were more powerful than me, but I had a bit more experience and above all the desire to bounce back. When I was given that opportunity in Perugia, I can’t say I was 100% confident I’d win—you can never be totally sure—but I knew I was in great shape. I started cautiously because I didn’t want to burn too much energy: against punchers, you have to preserve your physical and mental condition and bring it out at the right moment. In the end, though, I had a great performance: a clear, dominant victory that gave me even more motivation for the future.
Your lifelong dream came true once again in Perugia, where you defeated the formidable Lupe Aquino to win the WBC world title, once more as the underdog. Despite dominating much of the fight, two scorecards only gave you a one-point advantage.
I believe boxing has always been full of surprises and always will be. When a fighter is chasing something important, I’m not saying they have to completely dominate, but they certainly have to impose themselves clearly. My victory was clear and progressive: in the final rounds, when I could have just moved around the ring without throwing much and conserved energy, I actually chose to push even harder. But by then, the title was mine, there was no doubt. Maybe the judges didn’t want to go overboard, so they gave me the win with just a “minimal” margin. But the important thing was to win and deliver the kind of performance I gave. It was a tremendous joy: I was the first boxer from Umbria to win a world title, at home, in such a setting… a major achievement.
I’ve always faced opponents who looked stronger on paper and were seen as favorites, but I knew that inside the ring, it’s the athlete who rewrites the rules of the game. That’s why I always believed in myself. In fact, I performed best when people thought I was in trouble.
After losing the title to the great Donald Curry, you had to travel to the United States to try and reclaim a world championship. The IBF belt was on the line, and your opponent, Darrin Van Horn, had an incredible record of 40 wins in 40 fights. What do you remember most from that extraordinary and victorious trip to the U.S.?
Let me share some fun anecdotes. Americans are masters at trying to provoke and intimidate athletes. From the moment we arrived, I was treated like the sacrificial lamb, they promoted the fight that way. The day after we got there, we went to Trump Castle, which belonged to the current U.S. President, Donald Trump. He was the promoter of the event. We walked into a huge room with fifteen or twenty giant screens, all showing Van Horn’s knockouts, to make us feel out of our depth.
Then came the press conference. When they called me up, I didn’t have much to say; I speak a bit more English now, but back then I didn’t speak it well. So I had made a T-shirt with my face on the front and the phrase “I’ll deal with you tomorrow” written in English. When we gave him the T-shirt, the Americans were shocked. They’re known for pulling surprises, but this time they were the ones caught off guard. They must have been thinking: “What’s this guy up to?”
It was a funny moment, but honestly, the fight situation didn’t look good: bookmakers had me as a 20-to-1 underdog. You could feel the sense of defeat before the match even began. What I did in the ring that night, compared to many of my other fights, was a carefully crafted game plan. Because Van Horn could only be beaten by me in the exact way I approached that fight. I’m not a heavy puncher, so I couldn’t just charge in and trade shots.
We had prepared a combo—left hook followed by a straight right—and that was the very combination I used in the first round to drop him. I let him know right away what kind of night it was going to be. I wanted to win by KO, but it was still the first round and there were eleven more to go. From the fifth round on, it was a one-sided fight. One judge later told me he didn’t score it even wider because he would’ve had to give Van Horn zero rounds and that tells you just how clear-cut the win was. It was a masterpiece crafted in the gym, although of course it’s always hard to replicate that once you’re in the ring.
Your two fights with the tough Frenchman Gilbert Dele once again highlighted your character. Many said the result of the first bout in Monte Carlo was a bit generous to you, but in the rematch in France, your all-out offensive strategy left everyone speechless and earned you a well-deserved win. What changed between the first and second fight?
To win a world title, the challenger has to bring something extra to the ring, to show they truly deserve to take the belt from the champion. The Monte Carlo fight wasn’t a great performance, I’ve always admitted that. I wasn’t in the best condition: not 50%, but definitely not 100%, or even 90%. Understandably, some people were left with a bitter taste, expecting me to dominate. But in boxing, you don’t need to dominate, you just need to win.
In the final part of that fight, Dele took some solid shots; I also felt a couple that were heavy, I remember that clearly, but I always recovered and stayed sharp. Even if it was only by a point, I believe I deserved to win. And in any case, we gave them the rematch exactly how and when they wanted it: we made ourselves available to show I had no problem going to France.
I went there and fought with sheer dominance, as if to say: “I’m the champion, and if you want this title, you’ll have to beat me.” I was in top physical and mental shape, and the fight was spectacular. Sure, I took some punches too, because I launched an all-out attack to keep him from settling into his rhythm. But it was a great performance.
Would you like to add a message for our readers?
Many people ask me: “Did you ever imagine doing all this in your life?” We all have dreams, some in sports, some in other careers, but honestly, my dream was to open a big, beautiful bar in Perugia. That was the kind of dream I had as a kid. Then one day I walked into that boxing gym, and everything changed.
So always remember: life can bring you incredible surprises. I can honestly say I had one that went beyond anything I could have imagined. And everything I did for this sport fills me with pride, because in boxing I discovered a truly wonderful world.