At the Pabellón Príncipe Felipe in Zaragoza, Italian strawweight champion Vittoria Parigi Bini (6-1-1) faced the hometown favorite, Aragon’s Cristina Navarro (7-3-0), for the European strawweight title.
For our flagbearer, it was a crucial opportunity to capture a prestigious belt—one that could pave the way to even bigger challenges. The WBA Mediterranean title was also at stake.
The bout, scheduled for ten two-minute rounds, saw Vittoria triumph by split decision in a match conducted with great maturity and intelligence. Here are the judges’ scorecards: 97-93 for Navarro, 97-93 and 96-95 for Parigi Bini.
Vittoria, a 25-year-old from Padua, was coming off a draw against another Spaniard, Maria Luz Peral, last July in Sequals during the 38th Carnera Trophy. Navarro came into the fight after a trip to Canada, where she had challenged Sara Bailey for the WBA light-flyweight world title, coming up short. Three months later, she defeated Venezuelan Maria Milano by knockout.
The two fighters had already met two years ago, in September 2023, and Navarro emerged victorious. This time, therefore, the opportunity for Vittoria was threefold: avenge that loss, claim the WBA Mediterranean title, and above all, win the European belt.
Both fighters, boxing from an orthodox stance, made their intentions clear from the opening seconds. Navarro immediately took the center of the ring, fighting aggressively. Parigi Bini, very mobile with a high and careful guard, moved constantly, never giving the Spaniard an easy target. Navarro’s initial aggression was already being controlled effectively by Parigi Bini from the second round onward. It was the Italian who often found the mark with an excellent right cross. Navarro appeared troubled—tense, inaccurate. Vittoria showed quick reflexes and great speed in slipping her opponent’s punches.
Using her ability to read Navarro’s movements, Parigi Bini countered with sharp combinations, including one that landed cleanly on Navarro’s face halfway through round four.
The Italian’s work rate was not particularly high, but it was extremely effective: her straight punches constantly kept the Spaniard on edge. Navarro struggled to launch dangerous attacks for long stretches, both because of Vittoria’s precise shots and her own ineffective use of the jab. With the right cross, Parigi Bini pierced Navarro’s guard at will, forcing her to overthink and slowing down her offensive rhythm.
Vittoria’s ability to slip shots and fire back quickly also exposed some defensive flaws in Navarro: a guard that wasn’t always tight and overly stiff upper-body movement.
Despite the crowd being entirely behind the hometown fighter, Parigi Bini remained solid and focused. But buoyed by the audience, Navarro raised the tempo in the last three rounds, and as some fatigue set in, Vittoria’s offensive output dropped noticeably. The Spaniard landed some good shots—especially with the left hook—and, despite her inaccuracy, tried to turn the fight around.
Navarro attempted a final assault in the tenth round, but was unable to convert her aggression into anything meaningful, landing only a few partially smothered punches as the Italian continued circling nonstop until the final bell.
At the end of the contest, the overall feeling was that Parigi Bini had managed the fight with great intelligence: she paced herself well and, above all, was effective in reading her opponent’s movements and repeatedly tagging her with clean straight shots.
When the scorecards were read, joy erupted for our athlete, who is now the European strawweight champion—the first Italian woman to do so after years of Spanish dominance. For Navarro, visibly disappointed, it was a tough loss despite a strong finish.