Report from the Allianz Cloud – Milan
In the co-main event of the TAF 12 card promoted by The Art of Fighting at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, Christian Mazzon (15-5-0) and Francesco Faraoni (8-1-0) delivered a close and intense fight for the Italian middleweight title. In the end, Mazzon prevailed after ten rounds by split decision, with the following scorecards: 95-94 for Faraoni, and 96-93 and 96-94 for Mazzon.
Mazzon deserves credit for bringing an attacking style to the ring, marked by bursts of offense, good timing and a variety of punches, especially the left hook and the right straight.
At the opening bell, during the initial feeling-out phase, Faraoni was the one pressing forward while Mazzon moved along the ropes. Soon, however, the momentum of the fight shifted and Christian began advancing in an effort to close the distance, which favored Faraoni, who was taller and more comfortable using straight punches from the outside.
Mazzon immediately showed impressive hand speed and great aggression. Constantly on the attack, the Milan native—cheered on by the home crowd—proved far more effective with hooks at close range. His right straight was of good quality but used more sparingly. From one of these close-range exchanges came the knockdown: Mazzon slipped Faraoni’s left hook beautifully and countered with a right hook that sent Francesco to the canvas. The Roman fighter got up immediately, but the bell rang soon after, allowing him a minute to recover and regroup.
Mazzon then became even more aggressive in an attempt to capitalize on the advantage he had gained, but in doing so he lost some precision and composure. That excess of aggression gradually cost him energy and sharpness as the rounds went on.
Faraoni, for his part, slowly worked his way back into the fight, using his longer reach to keep his opponent at a safer distance. In the fourth round he landed a solid series of straight punches that troubled Christian, who struggled to close the gap, perhaps also looking for a moment to catch his breath.
In the fifth round Francesco continued to control the action from the outside with straight punches, but a sharp left hook from Mazzon followed by a powerful right straight visibly shook Faraoni.
Mazzon then rushed forward, but his punches lacked accuracy. Again in the following round two right hands from the Milanese fighter landed cleanly, but Christian became overly eager to finish the fight, making his attacks wider and more predictable.
At that stage Faraoni struggled to contain Mazzon’s physical intensity and had to wait for his opponent to slow down in order to recover.
In the eighth round Christian appeared more fatigued and less focused, allowing Faraoni to move and score with straight punches.
A nice jab-right hand combination from Mazzon opened the ninth round, but Faraoni absorbed the blows well. Fatigue began to show and Mazzon had to slow the pace after the energy he had spent earlier. This benefited Faraoni, who at a more measured tempo was able to manage the distance with his straight punches.
In the final round both fighters produced little due to exhaustion.
The verdict rewarded, in the opinion of this writer rightly, Christian Mazzon, who—albeit in waves—showed excellent punches along with good speed and explosiveness. A bit more composure in key moments would have allowed him to manage the crucial phases better and maintain a steadier pace throughout the fight. Faraoni displayed excellent straight punches but struggled to contain Mazzon during the most heated exchanges, paying the price whenever his opponent accelerated and pressed the action more decisively.
Below is a brief summary of the rest of the undercard.
At super welterweight, Paolo Bologna (13-0-2) defeated Nicholas Esposito (20-2-0) by unanimous decision over eight rounds. The two engaged in an intense battle featuring several heated exchanges and a very high volume of punches. It was an entertaining and highly competitive fight. Bologna was the more proactive and effective fighter, showing a wider range of tactical solutions.
At light heavyweight, Mohamed Elmaghraby (14-0-0) had little trouble dealing with a clearly overmatched opponent, Kostantin Aleksandrov (13-77-4). Knocked down three times in the third round by Elmaghraby’s left hands, Aleksandrov was stopped by the referee, giving Elmaghraby a third-round TKO victory.
Another strong performance came from light heavyweight Paul Amefian (7-0-0), who stopped Stiven Leonetti Dredhaj (13-6-1) with a beautiful liver uppercut in the sixth round. Leonetti had already been knocked down in the opening round after a series of right hands from Amefian. He recovered well in the following rounds but struggled to contain Paul’s power and physical intensity.
Middleweight Simone Brusa (16-4-2) also delivered an excellent performance, convincingly defeating Tiziano Barilotti (10-5-3) by unanimous decision over six rounds. Brusa boxed in a highly elusive style, displaying excellent timing, good footwork and great speed, which allowed him to avoid Barilotti’s attacks and counter effectively.
Finally, at super welterweight, Cezar Ieseanu (10-0-0) defeated Yaya Kone (4-4) by second-round TKO. The Moldovan southpaw won convincingly thanks to the power, precision and variety of his punches. Kone appeared too aggressive and defensively vulnerable to effectively challenge his opponent.
Special thanks to Tommaso Clerici from the TAF press office for the organization and availability.