Things you didn't know about Nicolas Nahuel Botelli
2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Peter McGrail (6-0, 5KO) faces Nicolas Nahuel Botelli (14-7, 8KO) on Saturday, March 11, in his home city of Liverpool, live on DAZN.
Known as 'The Liverpool Lomachenko', this will be 26-year-old McGrail's second 10-round contest in just his seventh fight, but who is next opponent? The South American has fought on these shores before, but not a great deal is known about him, so BBN dug up as much info as possible below:
Nicolas Nahuel Botelli
Born October 25th, 1997, Nicolas Nahuel Botelli is 25-years-old from the mountainous northwestern city of Salta, Argentina, which is where Wilfred Benítez fought Carlos Herrera in 1986.
His nickname is 'Pitbull'.
He won his pro debut in October 2017 against 3-1 winning fighter, Federico Andres Penarrieta.
He has fought for the WBC Francophone featherweight title in February 2022, but was stopped in the eighth round by 10-0 Chris Esabe, in his first fight abroad in France. His left eye was completely closed shut by the end of the fight.
This will be his second fight in the UK, having fought 12-0 Sultan Zaurbek at the York Hall in April 2022. He was KO'd by a body shot in round five of 10.
He is the reigning Argentinian featherweight champion. He won the national title in June 2022 and defended it successfully in December.
He has won four from his last five fights, including three knockouts.
Style
Botelli is an orthodox, stand up tall fighter with a long reach and snappy jab. He holds his guard high and usually opts to fight on the outside at long range. Although he mostly adopts a high guard, he has been known to drop his hands and box in a position where he holds his left arm in a sling, flicking his jab upwards and looking a little flashy. This only happens when he is comfortably winning in fights, like in the middle rounds of his title fight with Alan Isaias Luques Castillo, which he won via unanimous decision. In this stance, he moves his upper trunk really well, but when he holds his hands high, there's a lack of movement.
He is an all-rounder, can do a bit of everything, but he doesn't always look comfortable when boxing on the inside. He is most comfortable exchanging at range. His favourite shot is the overhand right, but his impressive technique allows him to throw a wide variety of punches.
Stats
Bouts: 21
Rounds: 85
Wins: 14
Losses: 7
Draws: 0
KOs: 8
KO Ratio: 38%
Stance: Orthodox
BoxRec #: 3rd (ARG)
Box Rec #: 120th (WOR)
What have they said?
Nicolas Nahuel Botelli: “Thank you for the opportunity Matchroom. We’ve put in the hard work now and we’re convinced and clear that we’re going to take this win home to Argentina. We have come really prepared for war, but I’m sure he has too because that’s the game we’re in. We’re here to show that all of our hard work will pay off on Saturday night.”
Peter McGrail: “First of all I want to thank you, Frank and the team behind the scenes for getting me back here. I feel like with Matchroom behind me, the team I’ve got, my coaches Paul and Anthony, all I can see is success. I’m on board now with one of the best promoters in the world and an amazing team. He’s a good step up and he’s a good fighter. I respect him, I respect any fighter but I don’t think he’s on my level Ed. We know what the nights are like in the Echo, they’re special nights. Even my debut when Beefy boxed Fowler – it was amazing. I’m just excited Ed.”
How to watch
DAZN – The main card is set to get underway at 7pm GMT / 2pm ET, with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 10pm GMT / 5pm ET (approx).More articles on Botelli
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