Salvatore Fanni

Last updated
Salvatore Fanni
Statistics
Weight(s) Light flyweight
Flyweight
NationalityItalian
Born (1964-07-10) July 10, 1964 (age 57)
Cagliari, Italy
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights44
Wins33
Wins by KO17
Losses9
Draws2
No contests0

Salvatore Fanni (born July 10, 1964) is an Italian former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2003. He held the European flyweight title from February 1991 to November 1992, and unsuccessfully challenged for the WBO flyweight title twice, as well as the WBO light flyweight title once.

Contents

Professional boxing career

Fanni made his professional debut on April 10, 1988, beating Tunisian fighter Mohamed ben Ali Saidi in Iglesias. [1] After winning his first 16 fights, he received a shot at the vacant European flyweight title on August 3, 1990, facing Scottish fighter (and future world champion) Pat Clinton in Cagliari. Clinton defeated the Italian by majority decision in what he later called the best performance of his career, saying he was "at the top of [his] game" at the time. [2]

Less than seven months later, he fought Joe Kelly for the same title (again in Cagliari), stopping him inside a minute in the second round, thus becoming the first Italian to hold the European flyweight belt since Franco Cherchi six years earlier. He successfully defended his title in his next four fights, against Danny Porter, James Drummond, Porter and Michele Poddighe, respectfully. [1] Fanni finally lost his belt on November 14, 1992, when Welsh fighter Robbie Regan defeated him by unanimous decision in Cardiff. Regan, a future WBO bantamweight champion himself, called Fanni "one of the best [he ever] fought but... also a true sportsman." [3]

Between 1993 and 1995, Fanni unsuccessfully challenged compatriot Luigi Camputaro for the European flyweight belt on three separate occasions, losing twice and achieving a draw. [1] On May 31, 1996, in what was only his second fight outside of Italy, Fanni challenged Danish fighter Jesper Jensen for the vacant European flyweight belt in Copenhagen. He lost the bout by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. Jensen later ranked his victory over Fanni as one of his greatest achievements. [4] Three months later, Fanni defeated Michele Poddighe, winning the vacant Italian flyweight title, although he never defended it. [1]

By the end of 1996, Fanni had compiled a respectable record of 30-5-2. He finally received his first (of three) world title shots on July 19, 1997, when he matched up against Carlos Gabriel Salazar for his WBO flyweight title in the Italian hamlet of Porto Rotondo. He lost to the Argentine by unanimous decision. His next shot came just over a year later, when he faced Mexican fighter Rubén Sánchez León for the same title in Cagliari. He came away empty-handed though, as he lost to Sánchez León in the same fashion: 12-round UD.

His final world title fight came on April 17, 1999, when he moved down a weight class to challenge 20-year-old Mexican starlet Jorge Arce for his WBO light flyweight belt in Sassari. [5] Arce defeated Fanni by TKO in the sixth round; it was the first and only time Fanni was ever stopped in his career. [1] He received one last shot at the European flyweight title on December 3, 1999, losing to Russian fighter Alexander Makhmutov in Milan. He retired after the bout.

Fanni made his return to the ring more than three years later. He faced Mercurio Ciaramitaro in Aversa on May 31, 2003, two months before his 40th birthday, when his boxing license would be rescinded. [6] In what turned out to be his final fight, Fanni defeated Ciaramitaro by DQ in the fourth round. He finished with a record of 33-9-2.

Professional boxing record

33 Wins (17 knockouts, 16 decisions), 9 Losses (1 knockouts, 8 decisions), 2 Draws [7]
Res.RecordOpponentTypeRd., TimeDateLocationNotes
Win33–9–2 Flag of Italy.svg Mercurio CiaramitaroDQ4 (6)2003-05-31 Flag of Italy.svg Aversa, Italy
Loss32–9–2 Flag of Russia.svg Alexander MakhmutovPTS121999-12-03 Flag of Italy.svg Milan, ItalyFor European flyweight title
Loss32–8–2 Flag of Mexico.svg Jorge Arce TKO6 (12), 1:171999-04-17 Flag of Italy.svg Palazetto dello Sport, Sassari, ItalyFor WBO light flyweight title
Loss32–7–2 Flag of Mexico.svg Rubén Sánchez León UD121998-08-02 Flag of Italy.svg Cagliari, ItalyFor WBO flyweight title
Win32–6–2 Flag of Hungary.svg Bela SandorPTS61998-08-02 Flag of Italy.svg Cagliari, Italy
Win31–6–2 Flag of Romania.svg Gheorghe GhiompiricaPTS81997-12-20 Flag of Italy.svg Sarroch, Italy
Loss30–6–2 Flag of Argentina.svg Carlos Gabriel Salazar UD121997-07-19 Flag of Italy.svg Anfiteatro, Porto Rotondo, ItalyFor WBO flyweight title
Win30–5–2 Flag of Portugal.svg Gabriel Pedro Silva GuerraTKO51996-10-12 Flag of Italy.svg Cagliari, Italy
Win29–5–2 Flag of Italy.svg Michele PoddigheUD121996-08-22 Flag of Italy.svg Aulla, ItalyWon vacant Italian flyweight title
Loss28–5–2 Flag of Denmark.svg Jesper JensenUD121996-05-31 Flag of Denmark.svg K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, DenmarkFor vacant European flyweight title
Win28–4–2 Flag of Italy.svg Michele PoddighePTS81996-03-16 Flag of Italy.svg Decimomannu, Italy
Win27–4–2 Flag of Italy.svg Michele PoddighePTS81995-12-28 Flag of Italy.svg Quartu Sant'Elena, Italy
Loss26–4–2 Flag of Italy.svg Luigi CamputaroPTS121995-09-15 Flag of Italy.svg Gioia Sannitica, ItalyFor vacant European flyweight title
Draw26–3–2 Flag of Italy.svg Luigi CamputaroPTS121995-06-10 Flag of Italy.svg Guspini, ItalyFor vacant European flyweight title
Win26–3–1 Flag of Spain.svg Julian GomezTKO5 (6)1995-04-21 Flag of Italy.svg Quartu Sant'Elena, Italy
Win25–3–1 Flag of Argentina.svg Jose Ramon SotoTKO5 (8)1994-08-31 Flag of Italy.svg Cagliari, Italy
Win24–3–1 Flag of Mexico.svg Silverio PorrasTKO21993-12-19 Flag of Italy.svg Quartu Sant'Elena, Italy
Loss23–3–1 Flag of Italy.svg Luigi CamputaroPTS121993-09-22 Flag of Italy.svg Oristano, ItalyFor vacant European flyweight title
Loss23–2–1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Robbie Regan UD121992-11-14 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg National Ice Rink, Cardiff, WalesLost European flyweight title
Win23–1–1 Flag of Mexico.svg Mario Alberto Cruz AlfaroTKO61992-09-19 Flag of Italy.svg Montecatini Terme, Italy
Win22–1–1 Flag of Mexico.svg Juan Pablo SalazarPTS81992-07-22 Flag of Italy.svg Palazzo dello Sport, Capo d'Orlando, Italy
Win21–1–1 Flag of Italy.svg Michele PoddighePTS121992-04-30 Flag of Italy.svg Cagliari, ItalyRetained European flyweight title
Draw20–1–1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Danny PorterPTS121992-02-12 Flag of Italy.svg Sarno, ItalyRetained European flyweight title
Win20–1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg James DrummondUD121991-11-15 Flag of Italy.svg Omegna, ItalyRetained European flyweight title
Win19–1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Danny PorterTKO9 (12)1991-06-12 Flag of Italy.svg Sorso, ItalyRetained European flyweight title
Win18–1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Joe Kelly TKO2 (12), 0:471991-02-23 Flag of Italy.svg Cagliari, ItalyWon vacant European flyweight title
Win17–1 Flag of Argentina.svg Roberto LedesmaPTS81990-11-16 Flag of Italy.svg Tortolì, Italy
Loss16–1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Pat Clinton MD121990-08-03 Flag of Italy.svg Cagliari, ItalyFor vacant European flyweight title
Win16–0 Flag of Argentina.svg Roberto LedesmaDQ121990-06-02 Flag of Italy.svg Salice Terme, Italy
Win15–0 Flag of Argentina.svg Oscar Dante ReynosoPTS81990-03-30 Flag of Italy.svg Cagliari, Italy
Win14–0 Flag of the United States.svg John VasquezPTS81990-01-29 Flag of Italy.svg Milan, Italy
Win13–0 Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Carmelo FernandezKO31989-11-06 Flag of Italy.svg Rozzano, Italy
Win12–0 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Julio OsorioPTS61989-08-05 Flag of Italy.svg Porto Columbu, Italy
Win11–0 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Gordon ShawPTS61989-07-15 Flag of Italy.svg Vigevano, Italy
Win10–0 Flag of Mexico.svg Alberto CantuKO41989-04-14 Flag of Italy.svg Milan, Italy
Win9–0 Flag of the United States.svg Jaime OlveraKO21989-03-16 Flag of Italy.svg Milan, Italy
Win8–0 Flag of the United States.svg Juan CameroTKO21989-02-11 Flag of Italy.svg Guspini, Italy
Win7–0 Flag of Tunisia.svg Fethi TouatiTKO51988-12-03 Flag of Italy.svg Cagliari, Italy
Win6–0 Flag of Tunisia.svg Fethi TouatiPTS61988-11-22 Flag of Italy.svg Milan, Italy
Win5–0 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tony SmithKO1 (6)1988-10-29 Flag of Italy.svg Palatrussardi, Milan, Italy
Win4–0 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg David Afan JonesTKO3 (8)1988-10-06 Flag of Italy.svg Milan, Italy
Win3–0 Flag of Spain.svg Jose JuarezKO21988-07-23 Flag of Italy.svg Carloforte, Italy
Win2–0 Flag of France.svg Cecilio RamirezTKO11988-06-04 Flag of Italy.svg Cagliari, Italy
Win1–0 Flag of Tunisia.svg Mohamed ben Ali SaidiKO51988-04-10 Flag of Italy.svg Iglesias, Italy

Personal life

Hailing from Cagliari, Fanni is the twelfth among thirteen siblings. His father was a fisherman while his mother stayed at home. [8]

After retiring for good in 2003, he settled in the Is Mirrionis district of Cagliari with his wife and three kids, and has spent most of his time volunteering. [8]

His youngest, Maurizio Fanni, trains to become a boxer like his father. He previously played football with teams such as Kolbe and Gigi Riva but plans to abandon the sport to compete in boxing.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Giallara, Giuseppe (26 April 2003). "Fanni al rientro: "Un anno e smetto"" (in Italian). La Nuova Sardegna . Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  2. "Clinton rolls with past punches". The Scotsman. 20 October 2002. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  3. Jones, Michael J. (20 November 2013). "Robbie Regan on dramatic career "I should have been setting myself up for life not retiring"". livefight.com. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  4. "Jesper D. Jensen: Ceylan must prove he has the heart of a Champion". Boxing News 24. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  5. Giallara, Giuseppe (24 March 1999). "Fanni-Arce mondiale a Sassari" (in Italian). La Nuova Sardegna . Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  6. Giallara, Giuseppe (4 August 2003). "La mia vita di pugni e speranze" (in Italian). La Nuova Sardegna . Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  7. "Salvatore Fanni Professional boxing record". BoxRec . Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Girau, Mario (27 November 2006). "Dal ring della boxe a quello della vita" (in Italian). La Nuova Sardegna . Retrieved 19 April 2017.
Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Pat Clinton
EBU Flyweight Champion
February 23, 1991 – November 14, 1992
Succeeded by
Robbie Regan