We have received and are publishing the press release from The Art of Fighting regarding TAF 14, which will take place at the Allianz Cloud in Milan on November 21 and will be headlined by Clemente Russo’s professional debut against Mohamed Elmaghraby.
The news had been circulating for a few weeks, and now it is official: Clemente Russo, winner of two Olympic silver medals at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 and a two-time amateur world champion, is coming out of retirement and will make his professional debut against undefeated Mohamed Elmaghraby (15-0), a former Italian and international champion.
The fight will take place as part of TAF – The Art of Fighting 14 on Saturday, November 21 at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, with exclusive coverage on Mediaset networks. The bout will be contested over eight rounds, with the weight limit set at 93 kilograms.
THE CONTENDERS
Russo, 44, competed in nearly 270 amateur bouts at heavyweight and came close to taking part in five editions of the Olympic Games, which would have represented a record in boxing history. He retired shortly before turning 40, after winning the Italian National Championships in 2021.
During his career, he defeated fighters who later became multiple-time professional world champions, including Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder. Thanks to his charisma, he also became a well-known public and television personality, appearing on programs such as L’Isola dei Famosi, Grande Fratello VIP and Le Iene. He is currently a commentator for Mediaset and a pundit on Pressing, which airs on Canale 5. Since January 2025, he has served as head coach of the Italian national boxing team.
Elmaghraby, 30, was born in Egypt but lives in Monza and has won every fight of his professional career, with nearly half of those victories coming by knockout. He has captured both the Italian title and the IBF Mediterranean title in his usual division, light heavyweight, which has a limit of 79 kilograms. Against Russo, he will therefore fight 14 kilograms above his usual weight.
FIRST COMMENTS
Russo explained his desire to return to competition as follows: “The flame of boxing has never gone out inside me. It faded for a while, but for some time now it has been burning strongly again, and that pushed me to accept the proposal from Edoardo Germani, the Founder of TAF. I started training in July, I still have six kilos to lose and then I’ll be on weight. I feel as fit as if I had never stopped, my timing and eye are still there, my body is responding perfectly… In short, I’m ready to enjoy myself.”
Elmaghraby fired back: “Russo is a test for me, to see where I am in my journey and to show what I’m made of. He will have a determined and aggressive man in front of him, especially because I didn’t like the way he spoke about my last performance from the commentary booth. I’ll make sure he respects me. Facing me in the ring is not the same as judging me from the outside and talking about me. I’m curious to hear what he thinks after he has fought me.”
On paper, Russo will have the advantage in terms of experience, while Elmaghraby is expected to have greater freshness on his side. The rest will be decided in the ring at TAF – The Art of Fighting.
MORE SURPRISES TO COME
Also already announced is Francesco Paparo (13-2-1) against Spain’s Alex de la Rosa in another bid for the European Union title (EBU Silver) at super featherweight.
The card will also feature Paul Amefiam (8-0) against Vincenzo Lizzi (4-1) for the Italian light heavyweight title.
The full card will be unveiled over the coming weeks, followed by a comprehensive press release recapping the event.