At the beginning of the year, Vincenzo Gualtieri was still a boxer that only real insiders knew. The unexpected World Cup title win in July catapulted the Wuppertaler to the top of the world overnight. Now he has the chance to win a second title – and thus finally make history.
It’s often a fine line. One day you’re world champion, a celebrated hero. Shortly afterwards you’ll be a topic for the boxing nerds again. Vincenzo Gualtieri smiles unimpressed when asked about this risk: “I don’t look at what could be”says the boxing world champion in an interview with Sportschau. “I go into the fight optimistic and don’t think too much about it.”
The underdog story of the year
Gualtieri has been professional boxing world champion since July 1st. The first from Germany with one of the four biggest titles in a weight class since 2016. A real boxing sensation. “I wasn’t able to realize that until a week later,” remembers the world champion. “A lot has changed – most of it in a positive way.”
The road to this title was rocky and unusual. Vincenzo Gualtieri was never in the very first row – neither with the amateurs nor, in recent years, with the professionals. Boxing legend Graciano Rocchigiani once discovered Gualtieri’s potential and became a supporter and mentor until he died in a tragic accident in 2018. But Gualtieri then made it his mission to fulfill Rocky’s vision. When the Wuppertal native was given the chance of a lifetime in July, he took it decisively. He had the best fight of his career so far and became champion.
Title fight in the USA as a risk
It is all the more astonishing that Gualtieri puts this title on the line again just three months later – and then flies straight to a title unification fight in the USA. “The chance of a title unification doesn’t come along every day,” says Gualtieri’s promoter Ingo Volckmann in an interview with Sportschau. “And the offer was financially top.”
The regulations of the IBF association require the first defense of the title within six months. Gualtieri and his promoter could have taken their time. And at least on paper, easier tasks than fighting another belt holder in the USA would have been possible. The risk of losing the IBF belt again would be significantly lower in a fight in Germany. “We would have liked to have done two or three more fights in Germany. But the opportunities to make money with boxing here aren’t particularly great at the moment.”says Ingo Volckmann.
Outsiders despite the World Cup title
Even as the reigning world champion, Vincenzo Gualtieri is the underdog. But the tasks are surprisingly similar. Like Gualtieri’s last opponent Falcao, another ex-elite amateur is waiting for the Wuppertaler. In addition, he will again face a left-hander who is primarily known for his aggressiveness and hard hitting.
Janibek Alimkhanuly comes from Kazakhstan and won World Championship gold in Olympic boxing in 2013. The US promotion giant “Top Rank” wants to build him up among the professionals to be the successor to the Kazakh middleweight icon Gennady Golovkin – who dominated the weight class for years and became a world star in the USA. Alimkhanuly is only at the beginning of this journey. But he has already defeated well-known opponents among the professionals and won the vacant belt of the important world association WBO in August 2022. Gualtieri’s IBF belt seems to be firmly planned as the next step.
Gualtier opponent Janibek Alimkhanuly
Mammoth task as a great opportunity
Two major world titles after just 15 professional fights – it would be a marketing dream for the US promoter. But for Vincenzo Gualtieri, despite all the risks, the fight is again a great opportunity. There were only three boxers from Germany who were able to hold more than one major world title at the same time: Max Schmeling, Dariusz Michaelczewski and Sven Ottke. And since Max Schmeling, no German boxer has been able to win a world championship fight in the USA. Gualtieri would not only make boxing history, but also contemporary history.
The Wuppertaler cannot rely on a home advantage like in July. He will have to improve his strong performance again in order to win in Houston. But he firmly believes in this possibility: “It kind of motivates me.”he says. “I’ve always wanted to fight in the USA. Many of my friends and family will be there. I’ll make it my home game.” Neither Gualtieri nor his promoter can be accused of lacking courage or sportsmanship. “Our trainer is once again sure: if Vincenzo survives the fifth round, he will win this fight too,” said Ingo Volckmann. “If we hadn’t seen an opportunity, we wouldn’t have accepted the offer, despite how lucrative it was.”
The list of boxers who shot into the spheres of attention of sports fans like accidentally launched New Year’s Eve rockets, only to crash back down again shortly afterwards, is long. But Vincenzo Gualtieri has the chance to make another splash when hardly anyone expects it. By then he should no longer be the underdog.
The fight Vincenzo Gualtieri against Janibek Alimkhanuly for the IBF and WBO world titles You can see it in the live stream on Sportschau.de and in the Sportschau app – on October 15th, 2023 from 5:15 a.m.
The sports show on Sunday, October 15th, 2023 will also report in detail about the fight.