Yesterday came the official announcement of Guido Vianello’s next fight. The Italian heavyweight standout will step into the ring on October 11 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia to take on the unbeaten Canadian Alexis Barriere. A crucial fight for the Italian boxer, who is looking to get back on track after suffering a defeat in April at the hands of American Richard Torrez. To do so, however, he will have to overcome several obstacles.
The first, immediately evident to anyone who saw the fight poster, is that the event will be promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, the promoter of Alexis Barriere. This means Vianello will be the “B-side” or, if you prefer, the visiting fighter— a condition that, as we well know, can weigh on the conduct of the referee, the judges, and sometimes even the ringside physician.
Secondly, Barriere’s technical and stylistic characteristics make this challenge tactically complex. Vianello has delivered his best performances against physically strong but stiff and rigid opponents such as Efe Ajagba and Arslanbek Makhmudov, disorienting them with his lateral movement and sudden entries. His next rival, however, belongs to a different mold.
Barriere is not particularly heavy by today’s heavyweight standards. Up until two years ago, he was around 220 pounds before adding some extra mass; in his latest outing, he weighed in at about 236 pounds. He is a patient southpaw who relies mainly on speed and timing, which means he and Vianello prefer to operate in the same tactical domain.
On his side, the Italian will be able to count on his advantage in high-level experience. Barriere has fought 12 professional bouts so far, winning them all and scoring 10 knockouts, but the level of opposition has been extremely low. This makes it difficult to fully gauge his qualities and possible weaknesses from the available footage.
The disparity between the Canadian and his opponents has so far been too wide to truly test him, but also to help him grow. This is something that could inspire optimism for Vianello, who, by contrast, has already been through several competitive fights that have shaped him both technically and mentally.
The fight will be part of the undercard of American star Jaron Ennis’s debut at super welterweight. Ennis, already the IBF and WBA world champion at welterweight, headlines the card. The event will be broadcast live on DAZN.