Zab Judah and Guillermo Rigondaux inspire European bantam champ Alessio Lorusso
On Saturday May 20, at the Arena in Monza, Northern Italy, The Art of Fighting will be back with another high level show, featuring European bantamweight champion Alessio Lorusso (21-4-2, 9KO) in the main event defending his EBU bantamweight belt against UK's Thomas Essomba (11-8-1) over 12 championship rounds.
“Zab Judah and Guillermo Rigondaux are my idols,” Italian Alessio Lorusso said, “Because they are great boxers. I like skilled boxers more than brawlers. I prefer Floyd Mayweather over Arturo Gatti. Also, Zab Judah and Guillermo Rigondaux are southpaws like me. Thomas Essomba is also a southpaw and that factor forced me to change some things in my training. I will be prepared and at the top of my game on May 20. There’s no doubt in my mind that I will beat Essomba.”
On the same page Lorusso’s coach Francesco Liotti added, “I have been working with Alessio for one year. We prepared four fights and we always won, three times inside the distance. He saw me working and asked me to be his coach. I accepted not only because of his talent but because of his love for the fight game. He never gets tired of training, he studies his opponents, he has the enthusiasm to accept any fight. If they offered Alessio to go to Japan and fight their undefeated superstar Naoya Inoue (24-0) he would accept immediately. Thomas Essomba is a respected fighter who will come to Italy to become European champion. That’s the biggest opportunity of his career, he knows it and will give 100%. We are ready to fight him.”
British-Cameroonian boxer, Thomas Essomba, is a southpaw from Sheffield. Now 35, the Brit won seven from his first eight bouts, losing his pro debut in France on points in 2009 to future world title contender Yoan Boyeaux. He became Commonwealth flyweight champion in his seventh contest in 2015 by defeating unbeaten prospect Waleed Din in Rotherham. He conceded the title in his first defence to Jay Harris, a second defeat in his career to yet another future world title contender.
He won the English title in 2018 then conceded it in his first defence again. When challenging for the Commonwealth strap up at bantamweight, he suffered his one and only career knockout at the hands of the brilliant Lee McGregor, which came in the final round of 12, with less than 90 seconds to go in the fight. He bounced back to defeat two unbeaten prospects in a row before meeting future world champ Sunny Edwards, who he managed to win four rounds against in a unanimous decision loss in 2020.
Last year, he won abroad in Denmark, then lost by a narrow split decision in a final eliminator for the British title against Marcel Braithwaite. Essomba has won two from his three bouts abroad, so will have plenty of confidence and experience travelling the 900 miles to Milan to box out of the away corner once more.
The other fights at The Art of Fighting 3, over six rounds: Francesco Paparo (3-0-1) vs Darwin El Badaouy (2-2-1), Alessio Spahiu (3-0) vs Enea Keci (Albania, 1-4), Jonathan Kogasso (Congo, 7-0 with 5 knock outs) vs Sergiu Sinigur (Moldova, 6-0 with 5 kos).
Over 4 four rounds: Morgan Moricca (1-0) vs Marco Delmestro.
Article sponsored by HÖRFA
