I'm making this at the suggestion/request of both @CST80 and @UnleashtheFURY and despite my own so-noted reservations: Headlining a SportItalia1 card on Friday at Teatro Romano. WBC International super middleweight title at stake, 1st defense of De Carolis, in the champ's hometown. Interestingly, both men have identical professional records in the rightmost pair of columns: both have 9 defeats, with two by stoppage, and one draw. The southpaw Armenian-German, with seven years of additional experience, also has seven more victories. He also had more amateur experience, and the better record in the unpaid ranks (72-3 versus De Carolis' 20-6-2) against fighters of more diverse nationalities. They have both Viktor Polyakov and Arthur Abraham as a common opponent. Gevor was kayoed in 11 by King Arthur in August of 2007, while De Carolis lost a 12 round UD to him in October 2015. Gió also lost a 12 round UD to Polyakov in 2017, while Khoren got a gift UD8 over him last year (I had it a draw). That was his first match in almost six years, since losing Maksim Vlasov when he was still campaigning at super middle. De Carolis has, meanwhile, been very active in that span - taking on several of the European scene's most recognizable names: Abraham, Mouhamed Ali Ndiaye, Vincent Feigenbutz twice (splitting a pair), Geard Ajetovic, Tyron Zeuge twice (a majority draw and 12th round KO loss), and Bilal Akkawy (though I didn't see it, @CST80 and the rest of the scorers in his RBR thread had Akkawy clearly winning, but in a much closer fight than you'd think from the official judges' cards). I'm fairly ambivalent toward De Carolis for the most part; he's a decent but unexceptional fighter...but in the run-up of this one you can pretty much call me his #1 super-fan. I loathe Khoren (whose nickname, lit. trans. "Power Plant", is derived not from the band known for its hit Autobahn, but from a brand of smoothie - acerola, mango, rhubarb, apple and banana - he was sponsored by early in his career) with a passion, even since before he viciously assaulted elderly referee Manfred Küchler in a tantrum over being quite rightly disqualified against Robert Stieglitz in 2011.
This content is protected Fucking animal. This is up there with James Butler vs. Richard Grant, IMO. Butler and Gevor could have spent the rest of their careers getting savagely KTFO and I would never have been able to get enough of it.