Daniele Marco Scardina vs. César Núñez Prado & Maxim Prodan vs. Nicola Cristofori RBR

Round 1

Loriga is strafing a few steps in either direction and then popping in a jab with quick sorties before darting out again. Esposito is ducking and weaving in with lots of false starts, then double-jabbing at the chest or winging big hooks at the head coming up on his tiptoes rushing in. Loriga ties up as Esposito begins touching him more on the point of the chin with a gavel jab.

10-9 Esposito, close

 

Round 2

Loriga is backed into the ropes by a series of 1-2's, riding them well but stung a little. Loriga is pumping jabs while getting backed into the ropes by Esposito crouching and tilting in, and then hacks down with a couple of cat'spaw rights. Esposoito bowing in but not throwing much before Loriga can flurry down into his face with a spray of light straights. Esposito landing his best stuff with body shots in the clinch. Ref having to call for breaks. HUGE left uppercut snaps Loriga's head back after he had just landed a couple of straight flurries down into Esposito's face. A couple more body shots by Esposito as Loriga lines up the jab dancing around him standing upright.

10-9 Esposito, close

20-18 Esposito

 

Venue DJ has blasted Iron Maiden between rounds all day.

 

Hmm. I had originally figured there was no way this didn't go the full ten unless there was a cuts stoppage (Loriga has only 8 stoppages in 41 bouts and has only been stopped himself thrice, and Esposito only has 5 in 13) but...seeming more and more like "The Good Boy" has the youthful vigor and strength behind his punches to get the job done on the 43 year old. Starting to beat him up and visibly bother him.

10-9 Esposito - no qualifier (ie not 'close', as I flagged the first two)

30-27 Esposito

 

I sense that Loriga's reign and career may be nearing a violent end...

 

Brief spurts of success for Loriga bravely coming forward hammering down with rights and swinging left hooks in rhythm with them, but Esposito is rolling into a ball, exposing his back, face pointed at the canvas to let most of the shots disperse and then driving the champion back with hard overhands. Loriga forced to clinch often and loses his gum shield from one hard shot.

40-36 Esposito.

 

Loriga doesn't have the wind to fight with any urgency for more than about thirty seconds at once. That's a problem, as Esposito has an engine on him.

 

If he gets this stoppage, it would be his first since 2018 and by far the biggest achievement of Esposito's career. In fact, it might give him the greatest single result of any of his active countrymen at 147lbs. (Dario Morello had a UD10 against Loriga five years ago, which stands as his personal best).

 

First half is a clean sweep for Esposito; if you were feeling extremely generous to Loriga you could give him the first two and have it 48-47 Esposito.