Nicholas Esposito lived up to the hype as he claimed the Italian welterweight title with a ten-round points decision over the admirable Tobia Giuseppe Loriga on the Matchroom/OPI Since 82 show in Milan. 

It was a hard-earned win for Esposito, 26, who finished the fight heavily marked up as Loriga refused to surrender his title lightly. Esposito, though, who was extending his unbeaten record to 14 fights, was more accurate and heavy-handed, although he failed to break Loriga’s heart. 

All three judges scored it 97-93, which had Loriga wagging his finger in disapproval. 

Loriga, who once boxed, and lost to, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, started at a fierce pace, throwing plenty of punches from the first bell as Esposito tried to walk him down. There was plenty of success for the 43-year-old in the first two rounds, although by the end of the second round, Esposito was starting to time the champion well, landing a crunching left uppercut just before the bell. 

Being 17 years younger, Esposito, from Cremona, would have expected Loriga to slow down and throughout the third he had success being aggressive, while Loriga got increasingly wild as he tried to match the younger man. A long right cross from Esposito looked to rock the champion in the fourth as Esposito grew in confidence. 

If there was a criticism of Esposito, it is that his accuracy after catching Loriga was often lacking and when they got close, the pair’s heads banged together, causing a small cut by the right eye. But there was no quelling Loriga, who won the fifth round on workrate alone as he tested the younger man’s stamina. 

By the seventh, Loriga was cut across the bridge of the nose and Esposito was landing the jab regularly as well and catching him when he wanted. Nothing, however, would stop Loriga from coming forward. 

Loriga, whose gumshield came out on a regular basis, often neglected defence as Esposito piled forward, but while Loriga never stopped punching, the cleaner work came from the younger man and it was Esposito that finished on top, although it was fitting that Loriga was still throwing punches at the final bell. Gaetano Virgillito was the referee. 

Mirko Natalizi uncorked two heavy left hooks to stop Islam Teffahi in the fourth of their scheduled super-welterweight eight-rounder. 

Natalizi, from Rome, who was winning his tenth straight fight, is big for the weight and has a relaxed southpaw style, sometimes a bit too relaxed as he meandered his way through the first two rounds, dominating the action without ever really pressing the action. 

Teffahi, from Belgium, had a good third round, landing a thudding right and then trying to unload on Natalizi in the corner. That seemed to wake Natalizi up and he ended matters in impressive style in the fourth, landing a well-timed southpaw right hook on the counter and then following up with another crushing right that sent him to the floor.  Referee Enrico Licini waved the fight off with Taffahi still on his knees at 1:50 of the round. 

Vincenzo La Femina extended his unbeaten record to seven fights with a one-sided with a six-round points win over Spain-based Nicaraguan trier Pablo Narvaez in the featherweight show-opener. 

It was a tough night’s work for Narvaez, who has gone rounds with a string of prospects across Europe over the past, despite not winning since leaving Central America. La Femina threw plenty of eye-catching combinations, which Narvaez soaked up without landing much in return. 

The Italian came close to a stoppage in the fifth and Ciro Di Marzio, the referee, probably should have stopped it in the last as La Fermina repeatedly landed head shot and Narvaez even turned to the referee at one point in pain. All three judges scored it 60-54.