Domenico Spada vs. Mirko Geografo RBR

Top of the hour.

Live stream here:
https://www.sportitalia.com/livestream/sportitalia-channel-live-streaming/885278

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This will be for the Italian middleweight title, first defense of Vulcano Spada (in his 2nd reign; he first wore it all the way back in 2006)

 

Spada, now 37, reclaimed the belt last year to end Andrea Manco's 2-year reign.

In the eleven interstitial years bookended with Spada's first and current reign, the belt changed hands eight times but only twice did a fighter beat the previous champ (Gaetano Nespro defeating Matteo Signani, and Signani defeating Nespro). All the rest including Manco's have been vacant title wins. In fact, if you trace its history even to Nino Benvenuti's reign in the Sixties, it has been vacated before changing hands an overwhelming majority of times with just staccato bursts of unbroken lineage here and there.

 

Geografo is eleven years the champ's junior and is the fresher man with 13 years' worth less wear & tear, and is 1" taller - but has fought very limited domestic opposition and never in a contest scheduled for more than 6rds. He also sports a very interesting record of 10-1-1 having never scored any form of knockout...making the 43-6 (19) Spada relatively more the "puncher" in this match-up...

His amateur record was a passing fair 38-16-6 (2)*, mixing with some recognizable international talents but always losing at that level of competition; ie on points to both Anthony Fowler & Jason Quigley.

* - yes, more stoppages in the amateurs than in the pros; don't think I've ever seen that.

 

The broadcast has picked up in media res, smack in the middle of a live undercard bout.

 

Gabriele Guainella vs. Yassine Habachi, 6 rounds @ cruiserweight

(round 3 currently in progress)

 

Guainella is clearly meant to be the "house fighter" - a citizen of Rome, with a 4-0 record taking on a 5-10-2 Moroccan journeyman...but he is having an incredibly hard time in there. His southpaw jab is slow & ponderous and he is consistently beaten to every punch with a counter jab or 1-2 on the kisser, or plugged with a straight or whipping underhanded body shot combo that makes him wheeze and tie up.

If he doesn't get robbed I think Habachi could be pecking & clawing his way to an upset here, on work rate alone (but he's also doing the visibly cleaner work, in a messy fight)

 

Guainella is cut. And extremely gassed.

 

@CST80 @PinoyProdigy @Drinquor @Drew101 @Chuck Norris @KiwiMan @UnleashtheFURY @lewis gassed @Russell @Kapparino @Boxing Prospect @Serge @BigBone @Pimp C @Willie Maeket @Robney @BOGART @Somachenko @SnatchBox @Max Thunder @Reg @Bustajay @pipe wrenched @pistal47 @BlizzyBlizz @eltirado @HamburgBuam @GK BOX @escudo @boranbkk @rorschach51 @MVC! @mirkofilipovic @lepinthehood @latineg @Reppin501 @Ukansodoff @Loudon @dinovelvet @Birmingham @Boxing Prospect @pincai @nellybc @f1ght3rz @kirk @McGrain

 

GG warned for pushing down on Habachi's cervical vertebrae with the lever formed by his paired fists, docked together at the knuckle-pads.

Warned a 2nd time on the next break.

3rd.

Ref being pretty lenient with the hometown guy.

Habachi...not so much. Just wailing on him with soaring rights from the hip to Guainella's head in between clinches, and peppering his jaw with short hooks & uppercuts for as long as he can until enveloped in the Roman's tentacles.

 

Okay, even having missed the beginning of this I've seen enough that, unless Habachi was dropped in the 1st and/or 2nd (and even once in each would make it a draw, 56-56) - he needs to get the nod here or it will be an INFURIATING robbery. This is a schooling/beat-down.

 

Habachi cranks it up in the final minute, pounding Guainella into a corner. Guainella in major trouble but manages to flop in and clinch the waist, almost face-planting when they're separated, his legs are gone. Wild roundhouses from Guainella to slug it out with Habachi in the last ten seconds, neither one landing anything clean.

My scorecard based on the four rounds I saw: 40-36 Habachi, meaning without a knockdown or point deduction against him the worst case for him in this is 58-56, if not a 60-54 shutout or 59-55.

 

WTF, no @kirk and @McGrain on here?

Editing them in. @CST80 be advised, this is for now our current touchstone RBR from which to pull the most updated list (until the next edit)

 

"Parità", wtf??? Yeah, gift draw.

 

Oh well, vabbè è la vita, onto the main event.