Boxing, Matteo Signani new European middleweight champion

Stoic Matteo Signani. At 43 years and 166 days old, he regained the European professional middleweight title by beating Frenchman Anderson Prestot, 12 years younger and 6 centimeters taller, with a spectacular seventh-round knockout. He hits the feat in the home ring in Savignano sul Rubicone (FC) taking revenge for the defeat on June 24th, in Massy in France. Where, in addition to the controversy over unfavorable arbitration, the organizers’ anti-doping control also failed. Reason for which the European federation (Ebu), after the appeal of the Italian one (Fpi) and Opi Since 82, ordered the immediate re-match, while leaving the title to the French.

The meeting

—

In the bedlam of support for Signani, the first round of study. In the second bland rhythm and withholdings. Signani tries to shorten the distance and places a significant first left hook, but his rival keeps him at a distance by replying with the right uppercut and the straight left. This last blow sets the third round ablaze: Prestot hits Signani who staggers, but is not counted and gradually recovers, despite a wound to the eyebrow arch. In the fourth round the Signani diesel starts to carburettor. “That shot woke up the jaguar in me,” he comments hotly. With hooks and jabs he enters his rival’s guard several times, winning the recovery, like the fifth spent along the same lines. The match has now passed into the safe hands of the “Giaguaro” Signani. Prestot is no longer able to avoid exchanges, pressure, being locked up on the ropes. In the sixth round, first a right hook, then a straight left and a left hook put him in trouble three times. His legs don’t feel like they’re holding them tightly anymore. In fact, in the following round, after 1’24” of further pressing, Signani finds the left hook with which he definitively extinguishes the Frenchman’s light bulbs. Prestot collapses to the mat, gets up with difficulty, but is not lucid and the referee rightly suspends the match. Technical knockout in the seventh round. The coastguard Matteo Signani deservedly returns to champion of Europe.

Second title

—

Signani’s record is now 32 wins, 6 losses and 3 draws, 12 knockouts. He will have to defend the title against the British and Commonwelth champion, Felix Cash. For Italy he is the second European professional belt, after the one recently conquered in bantamweight by Alessio Lorusso.