Michela Braga’s dream of winning the EBU European super bantamweight title has slipped away. The Italian contender was defeated at the PalaTeknoship in Genoa, in the main event of the show promoted by SSD Vecchia Maniera in collaboration with EVENT SRL. After the reading of the verdict, it was the arm of French boxer Narymane Benloucif Berche that was raised, as she prevailed by split decision (97–93, 96–94, 94–96) to become the new European champion.
The first of the ten scheduled rounds offered an unusual and, in some ways, unexpected tactical scenario. Despite enjoying advantages in height and reach, it was Benloucif who immediately took center ring, pressing forward and applying pressure, while Braga—despite her disadvantage in size—opted to box on the back foot.
That elusive strategy, which three years ago allowed Michela to secure the most prestigious victory of her career by neutralizing Veronica Tosi’s relentless attacks, proved ineffective against Benloucif’s advance. With her constant use of straight punches, the French boxer found it easy to close the distance on the Italian, denying her any real opportunity to counter effectively.
From the second round onward, Braga was therefore forced to put on her war helmet, moving forward in an attempt to shorten the distance and work on the inside. In doing so, however, she exposed herself to her opponent’s counterpunches, with Benloucif always ready to unleash her shots the moment the Italian entered range.
The third round was by far the best of the fight for the home boxer. Braga managed to avoid much of her opponent’s dangerous straight punches and landed several wide hooks of her own, but she paid a heavy price in terms of energy, having to constantly move her upper body to do so.
Benloucif regained control of the bout from the very next round and never relinquished it until the final bell. Under a steady rain of straight punches, Braga also appeared to be shaken by a shot toward the end of the fourth round and was unable to regain her composure thereafter.
The fight continued with an alternation between messy phases—marked by a high number of clinches and frequent referee interventions that made the contest chaotic—and cleaner, more intense exchanges, in which Benloucif’s compact, inside punches clearly stood out compared to Braga’s overly wide hooks.
The sixth and seventh rounds proved particularly punishing for the Italian, as she was subjected to continuous flurries from the French boxer, whose extremely high work rate left her rival with little space or time to interrupt the monologue.
Nevertheless, Braga’s fighting spirit deserves praise. Despite an increasingly desperate situation on the scorecards, she never stopped coming forward and trying to mount a comeback. In the final rounds, aided by the fatigue of both fighters, the contest became somewhat more balanced, but not enough for the Italian to seriously challenge the final outcome.
Over the course of ten rounds, Benloucif’s superiority was clear, decisive, and indisputable, as reflected by the body language of both fighters and their respective corners after the final bell. The French team celebrated joyfully, while the Italian corner appeared somber and resigned to the inevitable unfavorable verdict.
The reading of the scorecards provided the audience with one last thrill of the evening. Incredibly, one of the three judges awarded Michela Braga a two-point advantage—an utterly baffling score that left many stunned. Fortunately, the other two judges corrected the course, rightly awarding the victory to Narymane Benloucif Berche, who thus claimed the prestigious EBU belt with full merit.