At 43, the former welterweight star, who had been missing since 2017, played a match in Estonia, losing on points and continues to prepare to regain his best form: “I say to Dario: the old champion is here, ready to challenge you. It would be a great show”
He had dreamed of a different return after eight years spent away from the ring that has always been his life. But Michele Di Rocco certainly doesn’t give up, and on the contrary he relaunches, making himself available for an Italian derby that would inflame passion like in the days of matches that were on TV in prime time. “The King” had not fought since July 2017, but decided to get back into the game at 43: “I believe I can still give something to boxing. Even though I had stopped for some time, I continued to train seriously.” Since he couldn’t join up in Italy, for his return he chose Narva, in Estonia, against the discreet local tradesman Andrei Antonov, 15 years younger than him and above all a natural middleweight, a category currently obligatory for Michele, a natural welterweight (i.e. 8 kilos under), after so many years of inactivity. Let’s be clear, an opponent that European champion and world challenger Di Rocco would have silenced in a few minutes: instead the outcome was a narrow defeat on points (the fourth in his career with 41 wins and a draw). Without regrets, however: “I played a good match against a physically structured guy, I held up well and it was important to rediscover the glance and the sensations of the ring. And then I basically carried out the preparation alone, getting help from my old mentor Gerardo Falcinelli and other friends for the physical part, but for the match I had to hire and pay a teacher in Estonia”
the future
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This is why Michele doesn’t give up: he would like to test himself once again after having done things well. Antonio Ciarelli, owner of Don Perignon of Latina, an agency that organizes events and has sponsored the champion’s return, is betting on him and will also follow him financially in the next steps: “I’m organizing my staff – says Di Rocco – because the project continues. I’ll find myself in top physical condition, I’ll have another fight and then we’ll see what happens: in the meantime I can get back into the rankings and fight in Italy”. And it is precisely this opportunity that Michele, of Sinti ethnicity and therefore accustomed since childhood to fighting against prejudices of any kind, intends to exploit by launching a fascinating challenge to Dario Morello, the fresh European Silver middleweight champion: “I saw clips of his match, he played a great match. I complimented him via social media and now I tell him: Dario, the old champion is here, ready to face you. If he wants to make a voluntary defense, I’m here. It would be a great show, boxing would return to the center of attention. And then may the best win.”
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