Ivan Zucco vs. Luca Capuano

4/16 (next Friday - as in a week from this coming one) @ the Allianz Cloud in Milan. On the undercard of the Fabio Turchi vs. Dylan Bregeon vacant cruiser European Union title match on DAZN.

This one is for the vacant Italian national super middleweight title, which has sat dormant for 2½ years since Dragan Lepei kayo-2ed Alex Marongiu for the belt, which then was also vacant - as it was earlier in 2018 when Giovani De Carolis outpointed Roberto Cocco for it. The last person to actually defeat an incumbent holder for the championship was actually Massimiliano Buccheri way back in 2013, outpointing the aforementioned Cocco who - you guessed it - began that reign (as well as his eventual subsequent one after Buccheri) with a contest to fill a vacancy. This after Roberto had failed in 2008 and 2010 in attempts versus Mohamed Ali Ndiaye & Andrea De Luisa, both of whom soon, of course, vacated.

This is boxer vs. puncher, with Zucco having not much of an extensive amateur career than I can find (getting schooled once in his teens by Daniele Scardina) but sporting a robust 83% kayo ratio in twelve bouts - as opposed to a meager 18% for Capuano in eleven professionally, but with plenty of valuable amateur experience internationally (his best opponent being Dmitry Bivol, who defeated him under the old system of scoring 9-4; not super competitive but not a wipeout either). It also happens to be undefeated southpaw versus undefeated southpaw - bit of a rare treat. Winner slaps his salami on the slab anteing up for Scardina to defend his claim to being the country's #1 at 168lbs.

Zucco vs. Pavel Zgurean:

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Zucco vs. Ondrej Budera:

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Capuano vs. Srecko Janjić:

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Capuano vs. Andrejs Loginovs:

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Having reviewed the footage... it doesn't take a psychic to predict the Mentalist getting Zucced (and I don't mean banned off Facebook ), and violently.

I just see all that hands-down and wooden rocking-horse at mid-range (weight shifting from heel to heel) malarkey going very poorly for Luca, with Ivan maybe dropping some rounds early getting painted with jabs but eventually, inevitably, getting in that ass to go full honey badger on it.

Both young men are signed with Salvatore Cherchi (OPI Since '82 Promotions) and, by extension of their partnership, Eddie Hearn (Matchroom) and Capuano is ostensibly the local guy, being Milanese - but I suspect the handlers know full well the likely outcome in this one and have their mouths watering over a slobberknocker Zucco vs. Scardina return engagement in the pros. Capuano, incidentally, was actually Scardina's conqueror in the amateurs, going 2-0 against him (probably due to being a few years older and more seasoned, echoing the later Scardina vs. Zucco dynamic) and called him out during a 2019 post fight presser - leading to vague plans for a grudge match that never materialized. Or, not yet anyway.

The combined record of Capuano's opponents is 60-176-16 ...less than a 24% victory percentage. By contrast, the combined record of Zucco's is 65-118-2 ...not great itself but a pronounced difference at 35%, leading me to believe he's the prospect in whom Cherchi has more faith and the one they're hoping gets to settle business with Daniele.

 

...and you know what? The newly crowned Italian titlist isn't going to be luring Scardina into battling for a lesser title (he currently holds the European Union). So they'll go challenge him ...leaving Roberto freaking Cocco to unretire after three years and vie for the vacant belt.

 

Francesco Patera vs. Vladyslav Melnyk (subbing for Devis Boschiero) sits in the co-featured slot between this and the main event. Pretty solid little domestic and Euro tier card, overall.

I'm supposed to work that evening starting at 2:30pm ...might preemptively feel a bad case of the sniffles coming on.

 

Their respective boxing idols, per a pair of press releases ahead of this fight:

Capuano - Lomachenko, Usyk, Mayweather
Zucco - Canelo, Roberto Cammarelle

 

Is this Bregeon frog chinny?

I can't find any record of him ever being down, but he also hasn't ever fought anybody serious (and drew with a 40 year old in his first stab at the vacant French cruiser title)

 

Oh and there was yet another opponent chance for Patera (enter Nicola Henchiri) with his belt no longer on the line and the length demoted to 8 rounds, so this one has been elevated to co-main event. Which it was de facto if not de jure already IMO.