Matchroom and OPI Since 82 return to Italy and Super-Middleweights will take centre-stage with Daniele Scardina and Giovanni De Carolis meeting in a huge all-Italian showdown on Friday May 13 at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, while unbeaten 168lbs talent Ivan Zucco faces Marko Nikolic at Palazzetto dello Sport in his Verbania, Piemonte hometown on Friday April 22, live worldwide on DAZN. Scardina (20-0 16 KOs) defends his WBO Intercontinental Super-Middleweight title against De Carolis (29-10-1 13 KOs), but there’s so much more at stake with bragging rights as the number one 168lber in the country to be settled on the night. Scardina sits at 10 in the WBO rankings, so the bout presents the chance for the winner to crash into the top five and begin to eye the biggest fights in the division. The 29 year old recorded a pair of stoppage wins in 2021 in Milan as he returned to the ring from a 14 month absence, and picked up the title he defends in the second of those wins, dispatching Juergen Doberstein inside four rounds in October. De Carolis, former WBA World champion, can reignite his title ambitions with victory over Scardina. The 37 year old battled Lerone Richards for the European title in May 2021 in London and after being outpointed by the Briton, he returned to winning ways over six rounds in his Roma backyard in October. In support of Scardina and De Carolis, Spaniard Mary Romero (7-2 2 KOs) will make the second defence of her European Super-Bantamweight title against Italy’s Maria Cecchi (6-0 1 KO), the vacant Italian Super-Bantamweight title will be claimed by Vincenzo La Femina (10-0 5 KOs) or Matteo Lecca (9-2 4 KOs), and there’s eight round action for Welterweight Maxim Prodan (19-1-1 15 KOs), while Super-Welterweight Cristian Cangelosi (6-0 2 KOs) and Cruiserweight Oronzo Birardi (2-0 2 KOs) will fight in six rounder bouts.  “It’s going to be an important and great fight,” said Scardina. “We are super focused; it will be a great show live worldwide on DAZN.” “I am thrilled to compete with Daniele,” said   De Carolis. “It is a match that Italian boxing needs and it will attract great attention on an international level.” Scardina and De Carolis will certainly attract the full attention of the unbeaten Zucco, who will look to land his first international strap against Nikolic, with the WBC International title on the line. Zucco (15-0 13 KOs) is leaving the domestic scene behind having landed the Italian title in April with a six round win over Luca Campano in Milan and took just three rounds to see off Ignazio Crivello in his first defense in his hometown in July. The 26 year old extended his KO streak to five with a fourth round stoppage of Giorgi Gujejiani in December, a 13th win inside the distance in 15 pro outings. Nikolic (28-1, 12 KOs ) will be out to stop the rise of the Italian, and the well-traveled and experienced Serbian takes on his fourth title fight in his 30th bout in the paid ranks. Unbeaten Roma man Mirko Natalizi (11-0 7 KOs) fights for his first title against Welshman Tony Dixon (13-3 4 KOs) for the WBC International Silver Super-Welterweight title on the undercard that also features Francesco Grandelli (15-1-2 3 KOs) takes on Briton Kane Baker (17-8-1 1 KO) over ten rounds at Featherweight, Samuel Nmomah (16-0 5 KOs) meets Felice Moncelli (22-6-1 5 KOs) over eight rounds at Super-Welterweight, and there is six round action for Mauro Forte (Featherweight,16-0-2 6 KOs), Joshua Nmomah (Middleweight, 10-0 3 KOs), Giovanni Sarchioto (Middleweight, 2-0 2 KOs) and Voldy Toutin (Light-Heavyweight, 1-0). “I am proud to headline an event of such an international importance in my hometown of Verbania,” said Zucco. “I will be ready to win the Green belt. As I have always said: “Verbania is inexpugnable!” “Our boxing schedule at DAZN just keeps getting better as we put on shows around the world, this time in Italy with a huge all-Italian showdown between Daniele Scardina and Giovanni De Carolis and Ivan Zucco facing off against Marko Nikolic in his hometown,” said Ed Breeze, EVP Rights at DAZN. “This are two cracking fights with homegrown talent looking to make a statement domestically and across the world scene. You do not want to miss out back-to-back Italian fight nights, live around the world on DAZN.” “Delighted to be back in Italy with 2 shows on April 22 and May 13” said Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith. “We have been building over the years with Scardina and now the biggest domestic rival is happening in Milan on May 13. Following the pandemic is amazing to have fans back. Don’t miss it live and on demand on DAZN!” “I want to thank Daniele Scardina and Giovanni De Carolis for accepting this fight,” said Christian Cherchi for OPI Since 82. “Without any doubts is the biggest fight Italian boxing can present at this time. We are expecting a sold-out arena and great viewers on DAZN. We are also very happy to promote the first International title of Ivan in his beautiful hometown of Verbania. His fight with Nikolic will be a step up in competition. Natalizi will challenge Dixon in his first title attempt and Grandelli will square off against Baker in a fight that promise fireworks. Don’t miss it live and on demand on DAZN.” Tickets for both shows will be available on ticketone.it. Full details will be released this week.

Joshua Buatsi stopped Daniel Dos Santos in round four of their scheduled 10-round light heavyweight at The Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.

In round four, Buatsi landed a devastating overhand right to the face of Dos Santos, who like a ton of bricks, and the fight was over at 2:44.

Buatsi, 174 lbs of Croydon, ENG is 14-0 with 12 knockouts. Dos Santos, 174.1 lbs of Point-Sainte-Maxence, FRA is 15-1.

“I hope he’s okay,” Buatsi told Matchroom. “We’ve seen this happen to many fighters. You box someone they say you’re levels above and it’s a banana skin situation. I’m glad I handled it. The most important thing is I hope he’s okay. We’ve seen these type of fighters come and cause upsets recently and I was adamant it wasn’t going to happen to me. I’m glad it went well.

“I remain optimistic all of the time in the moves that I make and this is one of them. We will have a week or so off and then we’re back in the gym to keep building. Going in we had little footage of him. Usually you can watch who you’re going to fight to get a feel. He looked very good in the one bit of footage we had of him. I had to learn round by round what he was like.

“Virgil gave me the perfect instructions and I followed them. I haven’t got here by being given it. The little that I’ve earnt, I had to work hard for it. I thank god for everything that we’ve got but I work hard for it. When I step in that ring it’s a dog mentality. This is a fight. I’m here to take everything. We’re here to win but we’re not here to hurt anyone. The time that we’re in the ring, yes, we want to win, and we want to entertain. We’re not here to hurt anyone in the long-term.”

Richards Decisons De Carolis

Lerrone Richards won an easy 12-round unanimous decision over Giovanni De Caolins in a super middleweight.

Richards, 167 lbs of New Malden, ENG won by scores of 120-108 twice and 119-109, and is now 15-0. De Carolis, 167.4 lbs of Vitebo, ITA is 28-10-1.

“I said I was going to conquer Europe, and I’ve done it,” Richards told Matchroom. “I’m very pleased and I’m very happy. I wanted this so bad to complete the collection. British, Commonwealth and now the European Super-Middleweight Champion. I’m very happy.

“It’s all of the drilling and all of the work in the gym. I’d like to thank my team – Dave Coldwell, Danny Wilson and my nutritionist Lee for getting me in the best shape possible for this fight. I’m going to be very difficult to beat. I said this from the start. It’s all about the skills, and I have them in abundance. I showcased a little bit of that tonight.

“There were points in the fight where I decided to sit in the pocket and work with him. I could have gone up the gears a little bit more tonight. I felt like what I was doing was enough. My team are very happy with my performance.

“I started from the bottom and worked my way up – I backed myself. There’s something to learn at every level. We’ll see what the team says the best options are for me. The next step now is fringe world level.”

Jason Cunningham dropped Gamal Yafai three-times en-route to a 12-round unanimous decision in a super bantamweight bout.

In round two, Cinningham dropped Yafai with a straight left. In round four, Cunningham dropped Yafai with a counter left. In round six, Cunningham dropped Yafai.

Yafai rallied down the stretch and hurt Cunningham down the stretch, but it was too little-too late as Cunningham won by scores of 115-110 and 114-111 twice.

Cunningham, 121.8 lbs of Doncaster, ENG is 29-6. Yafai, 121. lbs of Birmingham, ENG is 18-2.

Cunningham avenged a loss to Gamal’s brother Khalid.

“We’re buzzing,” said Cunningham. “We’re from a little town called Doncaster. We’ve got a British, European and World Champion – that’s some doing that. In at three weeks’ notice – I won my second Commonwealth Title at three weeks’ notice. They tried catching me out tonight, I don’t care what anyone says – that’s what they’ve done. 

“I’ve stayed prepared, stayed disciplined and dedicated. This is what happens when you stick to it. I was in this venue last time I had a big fight against Michael Conlan. I pushed Michael Conlan hard. I had to grit in late on tonight – he hurt me a few times to the body. I’ll never quit. It’s my boxing ability that sets me above the rest. I’m an awkward tall southpaw.

“I said I knew I had the tools to do it. I said I’d have done a better job if I had more notice but to be fair, I dropped him three times and it was quite comfortable really. I knew to keep calm and carry on what I was doing. I stuck to it and this is my reward. I made a lot of people in Doncaster a lot of money tonight.

“I showed my class, I was levels above him in terms of boxing ability. Usually you get a good ten weeks’ notice for a European Title fight – it was the biggest fight of my life. I’ve been out of the ring since February last year. Tonight was just my night, I knew I was all wrong for him.”

Tommy McCarthy stopped Alezandru Jur in round six of a scheduled 12-round cruiserweight bout,

In round four, McCarthy dropped Jur with a left to the body. Two rounds later, it was another left to the body, but this time Jur was down for the count of 10 at 2:09.

McCarthy, 199.4 lbs of Belfast, NI is 18-2 with nine knockouts. Jur, 198.7 lbs of Ordea, ROM is 19-5.

“I’m delighted,” McCarthy told Matchroom. “I got a few rounds in and a stoppage. I got everything that I wanted. We prepared for Jur to give me a good test. I don’t think he expected me to come out the way that I did. It threw him off a bit. I can’t complain.

“I thought it was all over after the first knockdown. Feinted to the head, left hook to the body and he went over. He went into survival mode after that. It was the same again with the next one. I’ve been working hard with my team all through camp. We’ve been doing all sorts of drills. We’ve been working on being explosive. The S and C training was all focused on me being explosive. I’m a hard puncher.

“Everything was perfect this camp – no injuries. I was driving them shots through him, it was great. The pandemic has been great for me, I’ve kept my head down, stayed in the gym and worked on my whole game. I hope everybody is buzzing back home in Belfast.

“I’ve got no problem fighting Chris Billam-Smith, it’s easy work. If this is the hurdle that I have to jump over for a World Title fight, then so be it. Chris Billam-Smith, stop Tweeting about me, stop talking about me – we’ll see you at Fight Camp.”

Dalton Smith remained undefeated with a beatdown sixth round stoppage over Lee Appleyard in a scheduled 10-round junior welterweight bout.

Smith dominated throughout until the fight was stopped at 2:44

Smith, 139.9 lbs of Sheffield, ENG is 8-0 with seven knockouts. Aplleyard, 139.1 lbs of Rotherham, ENG is 16-6-1.

“I’ve got my first professional Title,” said Smith. “I’ve dreamt about this since I was a little boy. I’m English Champion! It’s the starting block for me. When the fight first got announced, I thought, ‘it’s just an English Title’, but now I’ve got it it’s like, ‘wow, I’m a professional Champion now’. It feels good.

“All credit to Lee – he’s one tough kid. I was prepared for a fast-paced ten rounds tonight, but he was just taking a few too many shots in there. I’m good friends with Lee out of the ring. When you go in there it’s just business. I could see his face was getting bust up pretty bad. I kind of felt sorry for him in a way. I’ve got respect for him. I knew eventually the shots would come and I knew he wasn’t going to last long.

“I’m happy with my performance. You want to win in style. The knockouts are good. We want to win but we don’t want anyone to come out of there hurt. People forget that was my eighth pro fight there. Lee is an experienced guy and he’s been in with some top kids. He’s been those championship rounds.

“I’m taking my time, I’m 24. I’ve got one shot at boxing; I want to make sure that I do it right. I’m not in there with no mugs – they’re real contenders. That was a good step up and I proved what I’m about. I’m not a championship round fighter yet. Kay Prosper just boxed for the European Title – they’re the type of fights that I want. I want to get those championship rounds in, I’m in a tough division. Maybe I’ll get over to the States in my next fight, get a bit of experience over there. I’d love to do that.”

Solomon Dacres made a successful pro debut with an easy six-round unanimous decision over Mladen Manev in a heavyweight bout.

Dacres, 221.1 lbs of Birmingham, ENG won by a 60-54 score and is 1-0. Manev, 233 lbs of Sofia BUL is 3-9.

“It was good to get six rounds under my belt,” Dacres told Matchroom. “I know a lot of people like to get the big Heavyweights that get them out of there in one round, but you don’t learn much from that. I got to show my skills. I didn’t just go for all power. I’ve got plenty more in the tank, so it was good to get the rounds in.

“I showed my hand speed at times. I showed I can box. I didn’t rush it. I’ve varied the power up. It’s all building up. We’re training to be a twelve-round fighter, not just a one or two round knockout artist. You don’t gain much from getting someone that is going to fall over after a round. Six tough rounds, I got to go through the gears, show a bit of what I’m about and learn a little bit as well.

“I was pretty relaxed to be honest. I’ve had plenty of amateur fights. I know that I prepared very hard. It felt good to get in there. Hard work is at the route of it all. If you put that hard work and dedication in, the sky is the limit. I’ll keep putting my head down in the gym and performing in the ring.”

Lerrone Richards says he will be able to call himself a genuine world level contender if he captures the vacant European Super-Middleweight Title against former WBA World Champion Giovanni De Carolis at the AO Arena, Manchester this Saturday May 15, live on Sky Sports in the UK and on DAZN in the US and more than 200 countries and territories.

The undefeated Dave Coldwell-trained talent (14-0, 3 KOs) has cleaned up at domestic level, outpointing Tommy Langford to claim the Commonwealth and WBO International Titles in April 2019 before decisioning Birmingham’s Lennox Clarke to add the vacant British Title to his growing collection in November 2019. 

‘Sniper The Boss’ began life as a Matchroom fighter with a wide points decision over Time Laine at The SSE Arena, Wembley last December, and the slick 28-year-old southpaw is confident he can make an impression on the world scene once he captures the European crown against Italy’s De Carolis. 

“The European Title is a belt that I have always wanted,” said Richards. “I have always wanted to achieve things and do things the traditional way – British, Commonwealth and now European. Once I’ve won this Title then we’ll start looking above, but my main focus in on the European Title. I can’t wait to get in the ring and showcase my skills. 

“I know that Giovanni De Carolis is a former WBA Regular World Champion. He’s strong, he can box a bit and fight a bit. He can punch a little bit. It’s a good test for me. He’s very experienced as well. It’s not an easy fight – it will be a tough fight but it’s a fight that I know I am capable of winning and winning well. 

“I just focus on what I do. Whatever happens on the night, happens. You’ve got to be able to adjust in the ring and I’m very good at doing that. When it comes to fighting opponents, I do what it takes to win the easiest way possible. If I have to walk someone down for 12 rounds, trust me I’ll do that. If I have to box on the back foot, pop and move to make the fight easier, then I’ll do that.

“I’ve just been solely focused on this fight. Winning this Title does bring a lot more opportunities for me. I can officially say I’m a world level contender after this fight. I’ll be in a position for bigger fights, which I’m very excited for. With my career I’ve always believed in stepping up. Stepping up the opposition and stepping up the levels in terms of belts. I’m going to continue doing so until I retire. 

“When it comes to skillset, trust me, I’m on a higher level. You can ask a lot of these world class fighters that I’ve sparred with. They’ll tell you the same thing. With me now, it’s about gaining experience and learning at every level. When I earn my opportunity at the world level, I’ll be able to showcase my abilities and get the win.”

Richards vs. De Carolis is part of a huge night of boxing in Manchester, Joshua Buatsi (13-0, 11 KOs) fights under Virgil Hunter for the first time against unbeaten Frenchman Daniel Blenda Dos Santos (15-0, 8 KOs), three European Title fights feature on the bill with Gamal Yafai (18-1, 10 KOs) defending his Super-Bantamweight Title for the first time against Jason Cunningham (28-6, 6 KOs) and Tommy McCarthy (17-2, 18 KOs) defending his Cruiserweight crown against Romania’s Alexandru Jur (19-4, 7 KOs), Dalton Smith (7-0, 6 KOs) takes on Lee Appleyard (16-5-1, 5 KOs) for the vacant English Super-Lightweight Title, Birmingham Heavyweight Solomon Dacres makes his professional debut and Ellis Hopkins makes history when she becomes the first female from the traveller community to turn professional.