Ringside Report – Porretta Terme (Bologna)
The class and elegance typical of great Cuban champions, distributed in a sculpted physique of 225 pounds for 6’5″: Angelo “El Terrible” Morejon (5-0-0, 5 KO) seems literally designed to fight and to do so by enchanting the spectators present. This authentic tropical cyclone, which threatens to shake up the heavyweight category of the European Continent, arrived in Italy just a year and a half ago and is already at his fifth consecutive KO as a professional. Of course, the opponents faced so far did not have the technical means to really test his qualities, but the movements that the Cuban exhibits in the ring bode well for a bright future.
This time, the victim of the deadly power of his punches was the unfortunate Bosnian boxer Belmin Pasalic (2-10-0, 1 KO), knocked out at the beginning of the second round after four knockdowns. The setting was the picturesque village of Porretta Terme in the province of Bologna, where the Pugilistica Alto Reno Michele Adduci, expertly guided by the rising coach Emanuele Orlando, organized a splendid event with considerable sacrifices, including it in the “Children’s City” festival, which colored the surrounding streets with a thousand colors, sounds, and attractions. Eight excellent amateur matches preceded the two scheduled professional fights, with Angelo Morejon’s bout serving as the Main Event.
A simply perfect climate to enjoy some good boxing, with the only exception being the excruciating background music: an instrumental reinterpretation of great Italian singer-songwriters that went on non-stop for hours, to the point that late in the evening, many boxers and spectators would have gladly set the speakers on fire. Nevertheless, when El Terrible finally made his entrance to the ring for the last fight of the event, the tension and curiosity among the crowd were palpable, although everyone was aware of the relative simplicity of the task and joked at ringside about whether the two boxers would go more than one round.
Despite his enormous size, Morejon moved with great grace in the ring, almost dancing on his feet with the naturalness of a ballerina on stage. But when he decided to land a blow, it was immediately painful for his opponent: a brutal combination of a right uppercut and a left hook lashed Pasalic’s head, who collapsed to the ground with the stunned expression of someone thinking, “What the hell hit me?” Shortly after, the Bosnian tasted the canvas again after a precise right straight to the body, and many thought the fight was over.
However, Morejon decided to give himself a few more minutes as the protagonist. Apparently almost annoyed by the ease with which he had put his rival in crisis, the Cuban took his foot off the gas, showcasing some high-level dodging and allowing the first round to end without further surprises. At the corner, however, coach Orlando promptly instructed him, asking him to finish the job within the next thirty seconds. This request was promptly followed, facilitated by a Pasalic who was evidently more than satisfied to have miraculously finished the first round standing. The Bosnian, unwilling to take more heavy blows, went down two more times in quick succession at the beginning of the second round, leading the referee to call the final stop.
Naturally, to test Morejon’s true qualities, to measure his limits and defects, and to allow him the indispensable experiential growth to progress as a professional boxer, stronger and more aggressive opponents will be needed. But young Riccardo Bizzo, who has decided to invest in the Cuban giant through his Italian Ringside Promotion foreseeing a bright future for him, knows this very well. The Venetian promoter intends to raise the bar already on October 26th, when Morejon will fight in Verona in his sixth professional fight, to pave the way for the first title fights in 2025.
What makes one optimistic about El Terrible’s chances of achieving prestigious results in the future is the great humility of the young man, aware of the importance of gym work and his margin for improvement. From a Cuban boxer who has already fought hundreds of amateur fights in his homeland, crossing gloves with living legends like compatriot Julio Cesar la Cruz, one might expect a certain presumption, typical of those who feel they have “already made it.” On the contrary, Morejon listens carefully to his coach’s advice and tries to put it into practice. The best phrase about managing a boxer with such high potential comes from coach Emanuele Orlando himself: “Angelo and I are growing together, learning from each other.”
In the only other professional fight of the event, the emerging local puncher “Italian Tank” Danilo Barile (2-0-0) won on points against the tough Yuri Zanoli (3-16-1, 3 KO) after six heated rounds. The two battled at a frantic pace, and only Zanoli’s incredible solidity prevented the hometown idol from finding the KO.