Former professional boxers Roberto and Mirko Natalizi have been arrested. The charges against the twin brothers are extremely serious: attempted murder.
The two are accused of carrying out a brutal assault on a 19-year-old man, who suffered significant injuries, as well as on one of his friends, who attempted to defend him.
According to reports circulating in the Italian media, the incident began at the Dadaumpa nightclub in Fiumicino, where Roberto Natalizi regularly worked as a security guard. However, according to the venue’s owner—who later dismissed the former boxer—Roberto was not on duty on the night the events unfolded.
Natalizi allegedly made sexually explicit remarks toward the 19-year-old’s girlfriend. The young man reacted, leading to a scuffle that fortunately ended without serious consequences.
The most violent events, however, allegedly occurred the following day.
Roberto is said to have tracked down the teenager and contacted him, inviting him to meet outside the same nightclub the following evening to “clear the air.” According to investigators, however, the meeting was a trap designed to take revenge.
After luring the young man to a secluded area of Piazzale Mediterraneo, Roberto Natalizi allegedly launched a brutal attack with the assistance of his brother Mirko.
The two brothers allegedly used a blunt object during the assault and also struck another young man who intervened in an attempt to protect his friend.
Only the intervention of another bystander, who stepped in to break up the fight, reportedly persuaded the Natalizi brothers to stop the beating and leave the scene.
The victim was taken to hospital, where doctors diagnosed an orbital fracture, a fractured cheekbone, and a hematoma to the jaw. He was given a prognosis of 45 days and remains hospitalized, where he may undergo reconstructive plastic surgery.
Roberto Natalizi fought only one professional bout, in 2019, winning by technical knockout.
Mirko Natalizi enjoyed a far more substantial professional career. He fought from 2018 to 2023, winning 13 bouts and losing only once, in Germany, before retiring from boxing.
Despite his rudimentary technique, Mirko had earned a reputation as a promising prospect thanks to his tremendous punching power. However, his lack of technical development ultimately prevented him from fulfilling the expectations surrounding his career.
The two former boxers now face the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence.
The attorney representing the assaulted teenager described the incident as “a tragedy narrowly avoided,” drawing a parallel with the case of Willy Monteiro, the young man brutally murdered by the Bianchi brothers in 2020.