) is an Italian amateur boxer best known to win Gold at the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships

2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships

The 2007 AIBA World Boxing Championships were held in Chicago, United States from October 23, 2007 to November 3, 2007. It was held at the UIC Pavilion. It was the biggest World Championships in AIBA history. The championships were originally awarded to Moscow...

 at heavyweight 201 lbs limit.

Career

Russo qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics

2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

 by ending up in second place at the 1st AIBA European 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament

1st AIBA European 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament

The 1st AIBA European 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament was held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria from March 30 to April 4, 2004 during the annual Strandjata Boxing Tournament. It was the first chance for amateur boxers from Europe to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics after the European Championships in...

 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. At the Games Russo, who works as a policeman and who hails from Campania

Campania

Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...

, campaigned at light heavyweight. He ran right into eventual winner Andre Ward

Andre Ward

Andre Ward is an American professional boxer and the current WBA super middleweight champion.Currently, Ward is rated among the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. He is rated #6, #7 and #10 by Yahoo! Sports, Sports Illustrated, and The Ring...

 from the USA and was eliminated early.

He moved up to the 201 lbs limit and exited early at the World championships 2005 and the European championships 2006.

Then he became more successful.
In 2007 he lost the EU final to Elias Pavlidis

Elias Pavlidis

Elias Pavlidis , sometimes written Helias or Ilias Pavlidis, is a Greek amateur boxer best known to compete at the Athens Olympics 2004...

, at the World Championships he easily beat Englishman Daniel Price, 2005 medalist Alexander Povernov

Alexander Povernov

Alexander Povernov is a German amateur boxer best known to win Bronze at the 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships at Heavyweights with 201 lbs/91 kg limit.-Career:...

 (PTS 17:5) and won the quarterfinals against Milorad Gajovic

Milorad Gajovic

Milorad Gajović is a Montenegrin amateur boxer who qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics as a heavyweight. He has also had some success as an amateur kickboxer.-Boxing career:...

 (Montenegro) to qualify for Beijing.
He beat Chinese Yushan Nijiati

Yushan Nijiati

Yushan Nijiati is a Chinese amateur boxer of Kazakh ancestry best known for winning the bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships in the 201 lb/91 kg division.-Career:...

 to reach the finals where he edged out Russian top favorite Rakhim Chakkhiev 7:6.

In the 2008 Olympics he won the silver medal, losing the final round and so the competition to Rakhim Chakkhiev.

World Amateur championships results

2003

• Defeated Stefan Balint (Romania) 15-10
• Lost to Magomed Aripgadzhiev (Belarus) 4-14

2005

• Lost to Jasur Matchanov
  Jasur Matchanov
  Jasur Mazhanov is an Uzbek amateur boxer from Tashkent who medaled repeatedly at 201 lbs in international tournaments.-Career:...
  
   (Uzbekistan) 13-16

2007

• Defeated Danny Price
  Danny Price (boxer)
  Daniel Anthony Price is a British amateur boxer, best known to win the national title in 2006 at 201 lbs/91 kg.-Career:The 1.98m/6'6 tall Price fights for Scarborough club Westway ABC...
  
   (England) 14-5
• Defeated Lukas Viktora (Czech Republic) 17-6
• Defeated Alexander Povernov
  Alexander Povernov
  Alexander Povernov is a German amateur boxer best known to win Bronze at the 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships at Heavyweights with 201 lbs/91 kg limit.-Career:...
  
   (Germany) 17-5
• Defeated Milorad Gajovic
  Milorad Gajovic
  Milorad Gajović is a Montenegrin amateur boxer who qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics as a heavyweight. He has also had some success as an amateur kickboxer.-Boxing career:...
  
   (Montenegro) 15-3
• Defeated Yushan Nijiati
  Yushan Nijiati
  Yushan Nijiati is a Chinese amateur boxer of Kazakh ancestry best known for winning the bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships in the 201 lb/91 kg division.-Career:...
  
   (China) 19-11
• Defeated Rakhim Chakkhiev (Russia) 7-6

Olympic results

2008 (as a heavyweight)

• Defeated Viktar Zuyev
  Viktar Zuyev
  Viktar Zuyev is a boxer from Belarus best known to win the heavyweight silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.-Career:The aggressive and hard punching southpaw won a silver medal at the Euro 2004....
  
   (Belarus) 7-1
• Defeated Oleksandr Usyk
  Oleksandr Usyk
  Oleksandr Usyk or Aleksandr Usik is a Ukrainian amateur boxer who won gold medal at the 2008 European Amateur Boxing Championships.-Career:...
  
   (Ukraine) 7-4
• Defeated Deontay Wilder
  Deontay Wilder
  Deontay Wilder is an American heavyweight boxer best known for winning two major national titles in 2007 and for being the only American boxer to win a medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.-Career:...
  
   (United States) 7-1
• Lost to Rakhim Chakkhiev (Russia) 2-4

External links

• List of exploits as a light-heavyweight