FL Sport: Eduardo Giustini vs. Ivan D'Adamo & Riccardo Valentino vs. Stiven Leonetti Dredhaj RBR

Round 2

Giustini has D'Adamo playing watch-the-birdie, stymying him with flicks of the southpaw jab from different altitudes with the speed and snap also varying - but always just a distraction, not intending to land it - and then clapping him with long lead lefts catapulted onto the nose of the giant from off the rear hip before bouncing away to safety. D'Adamo just sort of lumbering after him, hoping he'll stand still.

10-9 Giustini

20-18 Giustini

 

Round 3

Giustini really belting his man with that left now, swimming without getting wet - just not enough creativity from D'Adamo, who is slow of foot and hand and can't seem to walk & chew gum at the same time, his defenses spreading open wide anytime he lunges in after Giustini with even a probing left jab. D'Adamo has a bad habit of retracting his gloves to his chest rather than over his chin, and Giustini has it well-scouted, pecking and cat's-pawing with lighter variants of the left and soft quick right hooks along the corners of D'Adamo's mouth before suddenly planting his feet and throwing a straighter and more spiteful left and then hauling off again.

10-9 Giustini, developing into a schooling, with a lot of time left and eventual mercy stoppage looking possible.

30-27 Giustini

 

Round 4

D'Adamo loading up and plugging away with the right downstairs (Giustini's trunks are hiked up way to high, within a couple of inches of his nipples, so the ref is letting some 'low' stuff from D'Adamo slide without any warnings, correctly IMO) but he's only getting a slight piece of Giustini with the shorter man constantly dipping at the knees and jerkily sliding away, compounded by the fact that he needs to extend himself reaching down & in - leaving him open for dozens of light stinging counters (mostly with Giustini's right jab).

10-9 Giustini

40-36 Giustini

 

Interesting but not especially competitive domestic match-up.

 

Round 5

Giustini keeps up what he's been doing, and has D'Adamo both mouth-breathing and dealing with a mouse under his left eye - but the large man is changing his tactics now, using exaggeratedly slow jab feints of his own to invite Giustini to swoop in confidently, only to hammer down at him with the right hand multiple times as he sees D'Adamo's trap being sprungs and scrambles for cover. D'Adamo shooting his left jab into Giustini's right to knock it aside, then scratching his chest as he pulls away with a step-through right uppercut.

10-9 D'Adamo, close

49-46 Giustini

 

Round 6

Giustini now warier, taking fewer chances ducking inside to let D'Adamo touch him. D'Adamo going for broke and hurling powerful but telegraphed 1-2s across the ring, and carrying himself nearly off balance swinging forth with roundhouse rights past the jab, but Giustini doing a better job of spoiling, either evading altogether or diving in and tying up all while getting in the odd right jab here and there.

10-9 Giustini, closer

59-55 Giustini

 

Round 7

D'Adamo keeps on like a juggernaut with the 1-2 and jab-curveball right combos. Giustini begins to slow down and finds he needs to mind his footwork lest he get trapped on the ropes, paying far less attention to his pot shot counters now. D'Adamo catches him! Giustini clobbered hard onto the mat with a gavel right. He's up and dancing around, right arm hanging straight down against his thigh, leading D'Adamo from corner to corner on a merry chase, hopping in place after creating distance to keep himself in a flow. Giustini manages to stay negative for the final minute-plus avoiding contact altogether.

10-8 D'Adamo

67-65 Giustini

 

Let me amend: interesting match-up.

 

Round 8

Giustini throws some hard shoeshine combos up top, on the ball of either foot, leaning outside when one but remainig coiled to strike like a cobra. Giustini taking initiative, keeping D'Adamo blinded with leather whenever he can to not give away the play and create room for any more of D'Adamo's heavy but ponderous shots. It mostly seems to be working, as D'Adamo's output falls to almost nothing - but with thirty seconds left after turning Giustini up close with a hand on his side as Giustini misses a right hook and overhand left while bowing down, face pointed at the canvas, D'Adamo times a perfectly on the button right shovel uppercut - crunching the nose of Giustini, head snapping back, jolted hard - and the ref gives him a standing eight count! The ref doesn't like the way Giustini's legs are quavering during the count and he waves it off!

KO8!!

 

Mamma mia! What a thrilling and sudden finish, and totally unexpected based on the first several rounds.

 

They put the belt around Ivan "Il Terrible" D'Adamo's waist, and Giustini just stares side-eye daggers at him, total malocchio - although they do share a sportsmanlike hug moments later.

Hard to blame him for feeling a little salty; Eduardo had this fight in hand if he had just stayed careful (and there's the possible gripe that some refs might not have opted to give a count there, meaning Giustini could have just clinched and ridden out the round to clear the cobwebs, and maybe only lost the round 10-9).

 

Grazie, ragazzi.