The Italian national boxing team’s campaign at the third stage of the World Boxing Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan, came to an end yesterday. Diego Lenzi, the last remaining Italian in the tournament, was eliminated by local favorite Aybek Oralbay. Yet what made more noise than the bout itself was Lenzi’s dramatic protest after the final bell. The Italian boxer stormed out of the ring without shaking hands, openly arguing with the referee, the judges, and the crowd. A theatrical display that hurts everyone involved—but most of all, it damages the athlete himself, a young man now seemingly trapped by the persona he’s created.
Let’s set emotions aside for a moment and lay out the facts.
Fresh off a spectacular second-round knockout win over Brazil’s Da Silva, Lenzi stepped into the ring to face the hometown hero and fight for a place in the semifinals. It was a tough match on paper—not just because of the home advantage. Oralbay is an experienced boxer who, though not especially quick or dynamic, possesses stronger fundamentals than Lenzi’s most recent opponents.
The first round was high-paced: both fighters met in the center of the ring and traded punches without hesitation. While both landed repeatedly, it was Oralbay’s superior work rate and consistency that made the difference.
Lenzi, as he often does, came alive in bursts. Usually, it only takes one solid shot from him to make his opponent blink, take a step back, and allow him to dictate the pace. But this time, Oralbay absorbed Lenzi’s best punches without flinching. The Kazakh boxer held his ground and kept throwing combinations, clearly winning the opening round, as unanimously confirmed by the judges.
In the second round, the fight cooled down a bit. Lenzi tightened up his defense and managed to slip, block, or soften more of Oralbay’s shots. But his offense also became less effective, and Oralbay used the opportunity to stay in control.
It was a closer round, but in this writer’s opinion, Oralbay still did just enough to edge it. Three of the five judges agreed, while the remaining two scored it for Lenzi.
The fighters entered the third and final round with completely different mindsets. Lenzi knew he needed a knockout to win and charged forward from the bell. Oralbay, aware he just had to survive without major mistakes, shifted to a more defensive approach.
Lenzi dominated the first minute of the round—until an unexpected figure stole the spotlight: the referee. Oralbay, looking tired, lowered his head and leaned into Lenzi during a clinch. The contact between their heads, if it even occurred, was minimal—a minor infraction at most, hardly worth a warning. But the referee handed Oralbay a very harsh point deduction, putting Lenzi right back in the fight.
Oralbay kept his composure and immediately launched into a desperate offensive, trying to turn the tide of the round. Lenzi responded well and maintained his advantage—until, with just seconds to go, came another controversial call: a second deduction, even more absurd than the first, this time against Lenzi for bending at the waist during a clinch—a completely harmless move.
While Oralbay took the first penalty with British-level calm, Lenzi lost all control. He laughed in the referee’s face, turned his back on him, and sat theatrically on the ropes—earning himself an official count as a result.
But Lenzi saved his worst behavior for after the verdict was read. He refused to shake Oralbay’s hand—as if the Kazakh had any role in the controversial decisions—and left the ring arguing with the local crowd, flailing his arms in a dramatic show of anger.
It’s no surprise that on Facebook, the official account of the Italian Boxing Federation, which never misses a chance to heap praise on our fighters, declared Lenzi’s performance “honorable.” But it’s worth highlighting a comment left below by former Olympic and world champion Maurizio Stecca, who—true to his blunt and honest nature—wrote:
“What’s missing here is respect and sporting ethics. The opponent has nothing to do with it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I’m shocked that an athlete enlisted in the armed forces would act this way.”
For months, we’ve been told by so-called pundits that Lenzi’s antics—his provocations, his bold proclamations, and his cocky demeanor—are all part of a clever marketing strategy. That they don’t do any harm, and in fact, only benefit the athlete and Italian boxing as a whole by generating interest.
Yesterday’s display pokes massive holes in that theory. By completely losing his composure, Lenzi showed himself to be a slave to his own persona—an image of an unstoppable, destined-for-greatness fighter who, in his own words, is “going to become the greatest Italian boxer of all time.” So how do you explain a loss to Aybek Oralbay to your fanbase unless you lean on conspiracy theories and outrageous injustices to avoid admitting you simply didn’t deliver?
What happened in the final seconds of that match in Astana—and even more so in the moments after—hurts everyone. It hurts Italian boxing’s image in the eyes of international observers. It sends the wrong message to young athletes who look up to the national team and now may feel entitled to throw tantrums after every unfavorable decision. But above all, it hurts Lenzi himself.
Despite what he wants us to believe, Diego still has a long way to go before reaching the elite status he already claims for himself. He has significant potential and flashes of brilliance that, given his age, are promising. But there are still several areas of his boxing that need refining, adjusting, and strengthening if he truly wants to excel.
Only by accepting defeat and learning from it can Lenzi make the leap required to pursue his lofty goals. But he won’t—or can’t—do that, because showing vulnerability or admitting failure would shatter the aura of invincibility he’s carefully built, likely under the advice of some self-proclaimed marketing “genius” in his circle.
So let’s brace ourselves for more outbursts and more theatrics with every future setback. The path to wasting the talent of a boxer who could be a genuine prospect is now laid out—and those who, just to pander to his irrational, fanatic fanbase, continue to blindly defend him will share responsibility for the disaster.