Alessio Furlan
Encyclopedia
Alessio Furlan is a professional boxer and former Italian and IBF
Mediterranean Light Middleweight
title holder. Furlan's aggressive forward pushing brawling boxing style has propelled him to winning a number of title belts and a large following in the city and Province of Turin
.
before turning professional in May 2001, winning his first fight at Settimo Torinese
, Italy
, in which Furlan knocked out Slovakia
n Robert Andrasik in the third of six rounds.
Furlan's explosive knockout power eluded him in his following fights although Furlan remained undefeated in his first five fights. Furlan then fought US
based Lebanese
boxer Ahmed Kaddour, a former contestant on The Contender, the reality television
series. The fight took place at Braunschweig
, Germany
. The fight went the full distance with Kaddour winning narrowly on points to inflict Furlan with the first defeat of his professional career.
Elio Cotena in July 2004 for the Italian Light Middleweight Title at the Toscolano Maderno, Turin
.
The first fight was stopped in the fourth round and called a technical draw. A rematch was then scheduled to take place in November 2004 in Turin. This time Furlan emerged the victor with a sixth round stoppage.
In October 2005, Furlan faced Alexander Polizzi for the vacant IBF
Mediterranean Light Middleweight Title in Rivarolo Canavese. Furlan added to title to his tally with a tenth round knockout over Polizzi.
's European Middleweight title holder Sebastian Sylvester
for the WBA
Inter-Continental Middleweight Title at the Stadthalle, Rostock
, Germany. Sylvester was due to fight Amin Asikainen
but Asikainen pulled out due to injury.
The fight took place on the undercard of a bill that included Alexander Povetkin
, Timo Hoffmann
, Robert Stieglitz and Alejandro Berrio
.
Sylvester controlled much of the fight Furlan having spells of success. Furlan was down in the seventh round however he rallied and pushed Sylvester cutting him in the tenth round however the fight was stopped by the referee in the final round. Sylvester stated that Furlan "an iron head" and that there was little he could do that would stop Furlan and was surprised at the stamina of Furlan and the punches he could take.
Furlan's follow up fight, in May 2007, was a victory over Hungarian Attila Kiss.
fighter John Duddy
in Dublin, Ireland
. Furlan stated that he was going to spoil Duddy’s homecoming and upset his perfect record because he had spotted a weakness in Duddy's style and was going to expoilt that. Furlan was quoted as saying "“I have great respect for John Duddy but I will come with my own tactical plan to beat him. He is tough and not afraid of anyone so he’s just like me in that respect. I will be out to spoil his homecoming but I’ll buy Duddy a pint of Guinness
afterwards to apologise for beating him!".
The fight was a keenly contested bout with both fighters suffering cuts. Duddy floored Furlan in the tenth round however Furlan rose to beat the count. Duddy sensed that Furlan was in trouble and piled forward and floored Furlan again at which point the referee stopped the fight with less than ten seconds to go in the fight.
IBF
IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...
Mediterranean Light Middleweight
Light middleweight
Light Middleweight , is a weight division in professional boxing, above 147 pounds and up to 154 pounds ....
title holder. Furlan's aggressive forward pushing brawling boxing style has propelled him to winning a number of title belts and a large following in the city and Province of Turin
Province of Turin
The Province of Turin is a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Turin.It has an area of 6,830 km², and a total population of 2,277,686 . There are 315 comuni in the province – the most of any province in Italy...
.
Debut and Kaddour fight
Furlan boxed to national level as an amateurAmateur boxing
Amateur boxing is practised at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, and in many other venues sponsored by amateur boxing associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration and fighters wear head protection, so this type of competition prizes point-scoring rather...
before turning professional in May 2001, winning his first fight at Settimo Torinese
Settimo Torinese
Settimo Torinese is a comune in the province of Torino, in Piedmont. It is a Turinese suburb taking its name from the distance from that city, which amounted to seven Roman miles...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in which Furlan knocked out Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
n Robert Andrasik in the third of six rounds.
Furlan's explosive knockout power eluded him in his following fights although Furlan remained undefeated in his first five fights. Furlan then fought US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
based Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
boxer Ahmed Kaddour, a former contestant on The Contender, the reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series. The fight took place at Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The fight went the full distance with Kaddour winning narrowly on points to inflict Furlan with the first defeat of his professional career.
Cotena title fights
After sixteen fights, Furlan fought in his first title fight when he faced NeapolitanNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
Elio Cotena in July 2004 for the Italian Light Middleweight Title at the Toscolano Maderno, Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
.
The first fight was stopped in the fourth round and called a technical draw. A rematch was then scheduled to take place in November 2004 in Turin. This time Furlan emerged the victor with a sixth round stoppage.
In October 2005, Furlan faced Alexander Polizzi for the vacant IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
Mediterranean Light Middleweight Title in Rivarolo Canavese. Furlan added to title to his tally with a tenth round knockout over Polizzi.
Sylvester WBA Inter-Continental title fight
Furlan's highest profile fight came in March 2007 against GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's European Middleweight title holder Sebastian Sylvester
Sebastian Sylvester
Sebastian Sylvester is a German boxer and former IBF middleweight champion. He is currently ranked as the fourth best middleweight by Ring Magazine....
for the WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
Inter-Continental Middleweight Title at the Stadthalle, Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
, Germany. Sylvester was due to fight Amin Asikainen
Amin Asikainen
"Idi" Amin Asikainen is a Finnish former boxer. He was European Boxing Union Middleweight Champion between in 2006–2007.His nickname comes from the similarity with Idi Amin.-Early life:...
but Asikainen pulled out due to injury.
The fight took place on the undercard of a bill that included Alexander Povetkin
Alexander Povetkin
Alexander Vladimirovich Povetkin is a Russian boxer. He is the current holder of the WBA heavyweight title. His height is . Because of his amateur success, as well as his early pro accomplishments, he is seen as a leading contender in professional boxing's Heavyweight division...
, Timo Hoffmann
Timo Hoffmann
Timo Hoffmann is a professional boxer who fights in the heavyweight division. He is probably best known as being the only fighter for nearly a decade who went to the distance with Vitali Klitschko...
, Robert Stieglitz and Alejandro Berrio
Alejandro Berrio
Alejandro Berrio Hernández is a Colombian professional boxer.Known as "Ñaco", Berrio turned pro in 1997 and won the Vacant IBF Super Middleweight Title with a TKO win over Robert Stieglitz in early 2007 in Rostock, Germany...
.
Sylvester controlled much of the fight Furlan having spells of success. Furlan was down in the seventh round however he rallied and pushed Sylvester cutting him in the tenth round however the fight was stopped by the referee in the final round. Sylvester stated that Furlan "an iron head" and that there was little he could do that would stop Furlan and was surprised at the stamina of Furlan and the punches he could take.
Furlan's follow up fight, in May 2007, was a victory over Hungarian Attila Kiss.
Duddy fight
Furlan was lined up to be the first opponent of what was being billed as "The Homecoming" of IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
fighter John Duddy
John Duddy
John Francis Duddy is a retired middleweight professional boxer, from Derry, Northern Ireland. Duddy fought under the moniker of "Ireland's John Duddy" or "The Derry Destroyer"....
in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Furlan stated that he was going to spoil Duddy’s homecoming and upset his perfect record because he had spotted a weakness in Duddy's style and was going to expoilt that. Furlan was quoted as saying "“I have great respect for John Duddy but I will come with my own tactical plan to beat him. He is tough and not afraid of anyone so he’s just like me in that respect. I will be out to spoil his homecoming but I’ll buy Duddy a pint of Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
afterwards to apologise for beating him!".
The fight was a keenly contested bout with both fighters suffering cuts. Duddy floored Furlan in the tenth round however Furlan rose to beat the count. Duddy sensed that Furlan was in trouble and piled forward and floored Furlan again at which point the referee stopped the fight with less than ten seconds to go in the fight.
External links
- Official website of Alessio Furlan in ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...