The World Boxing Association (WBA) Mediterranean title will come to Italy for the first time on February 21 with the lightweight clash between Gianluca Picardi and Cristian Malvitano at the Palacasoria Sports Center in Casoria, Naples. 

The event will be promoted by Mario Loreni and will feature a number of interesting bouts, including a regional title fight for the pioneer body as the evening’s main event. 

Picardi is a 33-year-old southpaw who is coming off a close loss to undefeated Armando Casamonica in May 2024. However, he has won four of his last five fights and has looked good in each, so he comes into this opportunity very well. 

In Malvitano’s case, he is 28 years old and defeated Ivan Petrov in his most recent fight, a win that helped him get back on track after back-to-back losses in his previous fights. 

WBA Iamed (Ibero-American and Mediterranean) has set out to bring boxing to important countries with local promoters and coming to Italy has been a great logo for the emerging region. 

Picardi comes into the fight with a record of 13 wins, 3 losses and 3 knockouts, while Malvitano has 13 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw and 3 knockouts.