Tension, excitement, struggle, and a liberating joy—Michael Magnesi’s night in the Valmontone ring was a whirlwind of emotions, but in the end, Lone Wolf got the job done. The Italian fighter reclaimed the WBC Silver Super Featherweight Title by defeating a tough Khalil El Hadri on points, despite the Frenchman’s relentless comeback attempt. The verdict was unanimous, with the following scorecards: 115-113, 115-113, 116-113. Magnesi has thus regained the belt he had lost to Japan’s Masanori Rikiishi after last year’s dramatic TKO defeat.
The Italian fighter got off to a strong start. Taking immediate control of the center of the ring, Magnesi was the clear aggressor in the opening round against a surprisingly timid and elusive opponent. However, the champion’s initial passivity quickly faded, and by the second round, El Hadri began delivering powerful shots, even though Magnesi outworked him in terms of volume.
For a couple of rounds, the French fighter attempted to fully embrace the role of an outfighter, circling his opponent constantly and throwing an endless stream of jabs. This strategy worked well, as Magnesi struggled to close the distance quickly enough and was repeatedly caught off guard.
However, the Italian boxer regained control in the middle rounds and held onto it firmly with renewed aggression and an impressive work rate that unsettled his skilled opponent. The seventh round was particularly thrilling, packed with fiery exchanges. At one point, it even seemed like El Hadri might gain the upper hand—until a sudden left hook from Magnesi caught him off guard, making him wobble momentarily.
What made the difference in favor of the Italian fighter was not raw power—Magnesi is not known for being a devastating puncher—but rather the surgical precision of his shots, which amplified their impact. This contrasted with El Hadri’s wider, more predictable punches. Unsurprisingly, the Frenchman adjusted his tactics once again, opting to move around the ring in the ninth round, which proved to be a favorable strategy for him.
Despite showing solid skills in long-range boxing, El Hadri—thanks to open scoring, which revealed the partial scores to both fighters and the audience—realized he was significantly behind and had no choice but to go all-in. Starting in the tenth round, the Frenchman launched an all-out assault, completely abandoning his defense, ramping up the pace, and desperately seeking a stoppage victory.
At this stage of the fight, many of Magnesi’s fans must have been sweating, haunted by memories of last year’s bout against the fearsome Rikiishi. This time, however, the Italian fighter did not crumble. Although he had to endure some heavy blows while backed against the ropes, he never stopped responding and delivered an incredibly gutsy eleventh round.
There was plenty of suffering in the final stretch, but no dramatic turn of events before the final bell, which left the decision in the hands of the judges. My unofficial scorecard read 115-113 for Magnesi, so I consider the officials’ verdict fair, even though the fight was undoubtedly close.
What stood out most in the Italian fighter’s strong performance was his mental resilience in tough moments. Had the previous loss left a lasting psychological impact, Magnesi would have crumbled when El Hadri launched his relentless assault in the final rounds. Instead, he gritted his teeth and weathered the storm like a true champion.
Of course, there is still work to be done in preparation for a long-awaited world title shot. In my opinion, the biggest area for improvement is handling critical moments—those phases where a fighter needs to catch his breath and concede some ground to his opponent. Magnesi thrives when he’s going full speed: he throws in combinations, dodges, and counters like a natural-born pressure fighter. However, when he is forced to give up the initiative, he still appears somewhat inexperienced and hesitant to use the tricks of the trade that elite boxers employ to kill time and disrupt their opponent’s rhythm.
Overall, the positives far outweigh the negatives. This was an impressive victory against a tough, aggressive, and dangerous opponent. A win that bodes well for the future of our Lone Wolf, who reaffirmed himself tonight as one of the best Italian boxers of his generation.