In the bout for the vacant Italian Heavyweight Title, Angelo Morejon defeated Antonio Carlesimo after forcing him to retire following five rounds that were, for the most part, one-sided. Carlesimo was also knocked down in the fifth round before his corner decided, during the following one-minute break, to stop the contest in order to protect their fighter’s health.
The fight got off to an unusually fast pace for a heavyweight contest, with Morejon landing repeatedly during the opening minute, taking advantage of Carlesimo’s all-out attacking approach. The Rome native produced an impressive offensive burst midway through the round, drawing roars from the crowd, but “El Terrible” responded immediately.
From the second round onward, Morejon fully figured out his opponent, and the fight turned into a boxing lesson, with Carlesimo forced to absorb punch after punch.
The hometown fighter deserves credit for displaying remarkable toughness, but aside from the opening round, his offensive efforts were too infrequent and too predictable to seriously trouble his skilled opponent. Carlesimo loaded every punch with maximum power, but he frequently found himself short of oxygen, forcing him to clinch before absorbing more punishment.
After slightly easing the pace in the fourth round—without interrupting his relentless stream of punches—Morejon produced his ace early in the fifth, dropping his opponent with a lightning-fast combination to the head. Carlesimo struggled enormously to beat the count before attempting a courageous response that reflected his immense pride.
Morejon, who had rushed in looking to finish the fight, was caught by a couple of dangerous hooks and had to abandon his immediate plans of ending matters, but he continued to punish Carlesimo’s head and body until the bell rang.
As the sixth round was about to begin, Carlesimo’s corner called the referee over to signal their intention to stop the fight. In this writer’s opinion, it was the right decision, as Carlesimo was simply too exhausted and had taken far too much punishment to realistically hope for a comeback.
It was therefore an outstanding victory for Angelo Morejon, who defended himself with composure and intelligence against the attacks of a much heavier opponent, prevailing through superior technique, accuracy, speed, and tactical awareness. The Cuban boxer, now increasingly integrated into his adopted country, can proudly wear the Italian championship belt. It is a prestigious achievement that could soon be followed by even greater honors if the pupil of trainer Emanuele Orlando continues to develop as he has since arriving in Italy.