Live report – Allianz Cloud, Milan
The two most important fights of the TAF 13 event held yesterday at the Allianz Cloud in Milan saw the pre-fight favorites come out victorious. In the cruiserweight division, Jonathan Kogasso got the better of dangerous Ukrainian Ramazan Muslimov, while Paolo Bologna won the all-Italian derby against Federico Schininà at middleweight. Both fights were contested for the EBU Silver title.
Below is the recap of the two bouts.
For the EBU Silver cruiserweight title, Jonathan Kogasso (19-0, 11 KOs) and Ukrainian Ramazan Muslimov (10-1, 7 KOs) stepped into the ring. Serving as the co-main event of the evening, the fight ended with a unanimous decision victory for Kogasso by three identical scores of 116-112, thanks to a solid performance that improved as the rounds went on and showed his ability to manage the difficult moments with composure and authority. Some may have criticized his style as being perhaps too conservative and linear, but despite the criticism that emerged, the writer believes Jonathan fought exactly the fight he needed to, skillfully containing his opponent and growing stronger over the distance without ever losing his composure, while preserving the energy necessary to manage the championship rounds effectively. There will be time and opportunity for him to grow further and raise the level of opposition.
The fight saw Muslimov start strongly. Surprisingly mobile and quick despite his imposing size and long reach, the Ukrainian seriously tested Kogasso in the early stages, landing more frequently, especially with straight punches. However, Kogasso still managed to contain him, taking few risks and maintaining control. During this phase Jonathan preferred to advance cautiously, waiting for the right opening. Both fighters displayed good jabs and solid straight punches — Kogasso’s perhaps more powerful, Muslimov’s faster.
It was a difficult fight, dominated by caution and the desire not to leave openings exposed. In the fourth round, however, Johnny landed a beautiful straight punch that caught the Ukrainian off balance. It was the first real highlight of the contest, and from that point onward the fight gradually heated up, aided by Kogasso’s decision to press forward more aggressively. Some excellent exchanges, greeted by loud reactions from the crowd, interrupted the many tactical phases. By following his punches in straight lines, Kogasso gradually gained confidence, forcing Muslimov onto the back foot after taking one shot too many. Little by little, the Ukrainian lost freshness and consequently precision. Despite struggling to contain Kogasso, Muslimov still managed to find occasional openings with the straight right hand and left hook, but Johnny’s straight punches kept him constantly alert and defensive. A beautiful uppercut from Kogasso in the tenth round further exposed Ramazan’s fatigue. His punches stopped looking sharp and instead appeared sloppy and thrown without proper balance. Jonathan, on the other hand, stayed focused and remained in excellent physical condition, a sign of solid preparation suited for twelve rounds. In the closing stages, the Italian boxer managed the fight calmly, controlling the few attempts made by his opponent to land meaningful shots.
At the final bell, the verdict confirmed the general impression of a Kogasso fully in control of the situation. A victory that now projects him toward even more ambitious stages.
We then arrived at the main event of the evening, the EBU Silver middleweight title fight between Paolo Bologna (14-0-2, 5 KOs) and Federico Schinina (12-5, 4 KOs), who replaced Dario Morello after the latter suffered an injury during training camp.
The fight was entertaining, with Schinina trying to hunt down his opponent while Bologna moved skillfully around the ring, making the challenger miss and landing excellent combinations that earned him a unanimous decision victory by scores of 116-112 twice and 116-111.
Schinina started aggressively but struggled to pin down Bologna, who was, as usual, highly mobile and completely unwilling to offer a stationary target. Paolo did an excellent job making Federico miss and countering with quick uppercut combinations. Bologna’s hands are fast, even if he lacks a bit of punching power. Schinina kept pressing forward but struggled to land clean shots. His constant attempts to close the distance achieved little besides disrupting some of Bologna’s work through clinches. On the counter, however, Paolo looked completely comfortable and repeatedly found openings against Federico. Bologna is an extremely elusive fighter, and Schinina managed to pin him down only sporadically.
By the fifth round the fight started to heat up, with a series of exchanges at both short and mid-range coming in rapid succession. The action became intense and the two fighters often came into contact, even clashing heads. Paolo suffered a cut over his right eyebrow, probably caused by a head clash. Unfazed by the injury, pinned in the corner during the seventh round, Bologna still managed to land excellent punches, including his trademark right uppercut and a beautiful right hook.
Schinina, however, refused to give up an inch and continued charging forward relentlessly, also showing excellent punch resistance and very solid conditioning.
During the eighth round the fight became even more heated and the referee was forced to warn both fighters because of their excessive aggression and repeated head clashes.
In the following round, a nice offensive sequence from Schinina forced Bologna backward, but Paolo quickly regained his footing. Despite all of Federico’s commendable efforts, the momentum never truly changed. Schinina managed to land a few more punches, partly because Bologna became slightly more static, but never enough to seriously trouble him.
A beautiful combination from Paolo in the eleventh round, finished with a lightning-fast straight right hand, put Schinina in serious trouble, although he still managed to avoid being stopped. After that burst, Bologna began circling the ring and avoiding further exchanges, fully aware that he was comfortably ahead on the scorecards. The final round slipped away in similar fashion, with Bologna’s counter left hook dictating the pace and another final two-handed offensive burst from Paolo.
At the final bell, the verdict rightfully rewarded Bologna, who managed his opponent skillfully both defensively and offensively, especially during the moments when he unleashed rapid, high-quality combinations. Thus ended a very enjoyable night of boxing. Thanks to Tommaso Clerici and TAF for the hospitality and organization.