In the main event, the 2012 Olympic Silver medalist Esquiva Falcao (30-0, 20 KOs) squares off with Vincenzo Gualtieri (20-0-1, 7 KOs) in Wuppertal, Germany.
The fight holds great significance as it gives the contenders an opportunity to claim the vacant IBF middleweight title, previously relinquished by two-time titlist Gennadiy Golovkin in February 2023. This occurred after Golovkin chose not to face Falcao in a mandatory title defense. Falcao, the 2012 Olympic Silver medalist, earned the mandatory challenger title following a technical decision win over Patrice Volny in a November 2021 title eliminator.
However, the fight wasn’t initially planned to feature Gualtieri. The IBF had ordered talks between Falcao and Australia’s Michael Zerafa for the vacant title. The discussions, ordered on February 9, abruptly ended on March 1 when Top Rank requested a purse bid hearing. Due to a series of negotiations and withdrawals, Gualtieri was brought into the mix as the IBF’s number three-ranked middleweight.
Vincenzo Gualtieri, the 30-year-old contender from Wuppertal, Germany, has never fought outside his home country in his seven-year professional career. His experience and recent performance, notably a points win over Vincenzo Bevilacqua in September 2022, have led him to this title opportunity.
Fight card:
▪️Esquiva Falcao vs. Vincenzo Gualtieri, 12 rounds, for vacant IBF middleweight title ▪️Etinosa Oliha vs. Julio Alamos, 12 rounds, middleweight ▪️Martin Houben vs. Octavio Pudivitr, 8 rounds, light heavyweight ▪️Carlos Castillo Rodriguez vs. Alfonso Damiani, 6 rounds, heavyweight ▪️Farlin Condori vs. Yeiler Vazquez, 6 rounds, junior featherweight ▪️Dariusz Lasotta vs. Eduardo Sacramento da Silveira, 6 rounds, cruiserweight
