Vincenzo Gualtieri loses prematurely to Amari Jones in the IBF final eliminator. But the AGON middleweight is sticking to his goal of becoming world champion for the second time.
Vincenzo Gualtieri’s dream of a direct route back to a world championship fight has been dealt a painful blow. On Friday evening, the former world champion was defeated by American Amari Jones in the IBF middleweight final eliminator by T.K.O. in the third round.
Abort after two knockdowns
The fight began promisingly from a German perspective. Gualtieri was highly focused and agile in the SAP Center in San Jose (California) and got off to a good start against the hopeful from the USA. The German set the clearer accents in the early stages and showed why he has been competitive at this level for years.
But boxing can turn in seconds. A perfectly placed uppercut from Jones abruptly changed the course of the fight. Gualtieri had to go down, the American followed up cleverly and sent the AGON boxer to the floor once again. The referee then stopped the fight in round three.
“I was highly motivated and very well prepared. I started very well. His punches weren’t hard, but the first uppercut came through perfectly and put a spanner in the works,” explained Gualtieri after the fight. “Of course I’m very disappointed. Despite the defeat, the goal remains the same: I want to become world champion for a second time.”
Volckmann: “The clearer goals at the start”
Ingo Volckmann also saw a strong performance from his protégé up until the decisive scene. “Vincenzo was very relaxed before the fight and made a good impression. He was in a good mood in the fight, moved well and, in my opinion, had the clearer shots at the beginning,” said the AGON Sports promoter. “Unfortunately, he then took a direct hit and was a bit knocked out, whereupon Jones followed up really cleverly.”
Even if the result hurts, the defeat does nothing to diminish Gualtieri’s sporting quality and ambition. The former world champion has already proven in his career that he can overcome setbacks and come back stronger. The road back to the top has certainly become rockier after this defeat, but it is by no means over.
Because Gualtieri made one thing unmistakably clear immediately after the fight: his dream of a second world title lives on.
Text: Press release / AGON Sports