By Ben Jacobs
It’s not too often that a fighter gets two chances at a relatively important prize in boxing within the space of just six months, yet Domenico Spada will find himself in that position on October 25. After losing by stoppage to Marco Antonio Rubio in April, the Italian takes on England’s Martin Murray for the WBC Silver title at middleweight.
“I have had a couple of weeks rest since the last fight in which I haven’t trained at all but I start a long training camp again on Monday,” he told BoxingScene last week.
Spada scored a six round unanimous decision win over Bosnia’s Nikola Matic on August 8, a fight which he admits to taking just to “feel the ring” again following the Rubio defeat.
‘Il Vulcano’ is still smarting about the loss to Rubio who himself has been rewarded for that victory with a shot at the consensus best middleweight in the world, Gennady Golovkin. The Rome native was not happy about the officiating during the bout in Chihuahua, nor the WBC’s open scoring policy.
“I was treated well in Mexico by the people, but there were problems. I got robbed of two kilos on the scales, the referee and the judges were an issue and most importantly of all they didn’t do the anti-doping test properly. They made me urinate into an empty bottle of water. How can you conduct an anti-doping test using a bottle of water?
“Rubio really disappointed me a lot because he was running away a lot and clinching, he acted like a rabbit.”
Spada also believes his former adversary will become another victim of the vicious power habitually unleashed by GGG.
“Rubio has absolutely no chance against Golovkin, the fight won’t go more than five rounds. I repeat myself, Rubio really disappointed me, he behaved like a little girl in there, constantly running away, that’s the truth. A few of my opponents have behaved like that, they move, throw a punch, clinch and run away.
“To win in Mexico you have to win by knockout. At least have the balls to face me, face to face, one on one, instead they fight dirty. I’m not a woman, I’m a man, don’t hug me in there. The referee took two points off me for foul play when it was Rubio who was the one being dirty.
“I expect the same thing from Murray because I saw him against Bursak in his last fight and he hugged a lot. What satisfaction do you get from fighting in that way? Boxing was made to fight like men. If you watch most fights, it’s normally the home fighter who wins. I mean, I work my ass off to make middleweight and then you rob me of two kilos on the scales? Two kilos is not a small thing, you know?” Spada explained further:
“I know that the scales were altered because just a few minutes before in the hotel I weighed 72.5 kilos (around 159.8lbs), then at the weigh-in I was 71kilos (around 156.5lbs).”
The fight against Murray will take place in Monte Carlo, a location relatively close to the border with Italy, something which Domenico is pleased about.
“I’m glad that I’ve got this important fight against Murray on neutral territory in Monte Carlo. His fight against Bursak left me disappointed; he doesn’t seem the same as before. He had the fight won against Martínez but it’s the same story as with me. In a place like Argentina as the away fighter you have to win by knockout.”
