WBO European cruiserweight champ Ellis Zorro defeats Luca D’Ortenzi
Ellis Zorro successfully defended his WBO European title with a unanimous decision victory over Luca D’Ortenzi at York Hall, last night, on October 6.
The BOXXER tournament winner, Zorro, 31 from Lewisham, has proved he can box by beating three fighters in one night in May 2022, then he scored impressive back-to-back victories over the rugged and tough Dec Spelman and former British light heavyweight champion, Hosea Burton, with a seventh round.
He was composed and controlled in the opening rounds against Italy’s D’Ortenzi. The sturdy Italian planted himself directly in front of Zorro, soaking up the Londoner’s jab and body attacks, waiting for his own opportunities. He managed to land a heavy left hand in the opening round, which looked powerful.
Midway through the third, a jab from D’Ortenzi landed directly on Zorro’s left eye, hurting the champion and sending him back into the ropes, but the Londoner made it through the round safely.
Unbeaten Zorro was boxing nicely but dispensed with the jab in order to trade. Whenever he took a shot, he fired right back but he didn't need to be there in that firefight. A left uppercut-right hook combo drew blood from Zorro’s nose and suddenly, by the sixth round, the Italian had gained a foothold in the fight.
Zorro has never been past eight rounds before, but handled the distance comfortably. His jab was effective when he used it and was the neater fighter throughout the contest. D’Ortenzi was dangerous with single shots but lacked the gears to put together any sustained attacks.
After 10 close rounds, the judges scorecards read 97-93, 98-92 and 96-94, all in Zorro’s favour.
Karol Itauma vs Dymtro Fedas
Kent’s Karol Itauma continued to rebuild his career by outpointing Dymtro Fedas over eight rounds. Itauma was shocked by Eziquiel Maderna in a real upset in January but this was his second victory since.
There remains an air of vulnerability around the light heavyweight but this was a routine, confidence boosting victory. When Itauma get into his rhythm and sets everything up behind a quick southpaw jab, he looks like a talented, slick operator but for a couple of rounds, Itauma held his feet inside a little too long and gave the Ukrainian a glimmer of hope he should never have had. The man from Chatham was never in danger but it does feel like an unnecessary risk.
By round four Itauma was in total control, dictating the range the fight was fought at and picking some nice body shots. As the rounds went by Itauma became more aggressive and began to look more and more comfortable up close. This was a good confidence boosting win for Itauma. The score was 80-72.
Masood Abdulah vs Marc Leach
Such a gallant effort from the older and smaller fighter, March Leach, but the pressure from Abdullah was relentless. He took a number of hard shots in that round and showed incredible bravery to see the bell, but his cornerman pulled him out after the seventh round and it was the right decision.
The 29-year-old Londoner swarmed his 'Livewire' opponent and landed a number of right hands during the bout.
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