Giovanni Lorenzo of New York and the Dominican Republic has waited very patiently for his shot at the world title. The former Dominican Olympian has compiled an impressive 27-1, 19 KO record while quietly toiling under the tutelage of trainer Pastor Ralph Farriett of Yonkers for the past seven years. “I want to be the world champion,” the soft spoken Lorenzo says. “That is my goal and nothing will stop me..”
Lorenzo should get his chance this Fall. He is currently in line to be the mandatory challenger for Arthur Abraham, the undefeated IBF Middleweight Champion, in his next fight.
“I’m already training and I want my chance at the title,” Lorenzo said from his home in the Dominican Republic. “I am tired of waiting in line. Tell Abraham’s people to get on the phone and start the negotiation.”
Today IBF put those wheels in motion when they sent a letter to Abraham’s promoter, Sauerland Event, advising them that negotiations for a Lorenzo fight should start immediately.
Rumors are swirling that Abraham, who defended his title successfully on Saturday night against former sparring partner Nahir Oral, can no longer make the middleweight limit and will move up in weight class rather than make his mandatory defense against Lorenzo. In that case, the IBF would order Lorenzo, the Number One Contender, to fight Sebastian Sylvester, an Abraham stablemate who earned the Number Two IBF ranking when he soundly defeated Lajuan Simon of Philadelphia Saturday night in Germany.
“I’ll fight either one,” the low key Lorenzo stated. “If Abraham won’t fight me, I’ll knock out Sylvester to win the title instead. I’ll fight either one of them right in Germany if I have to. Now it’s my turn and I’m going to come home with the title. I’m just waiting for them to tell me the date.”
Lorenzo promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events said, “Giovanni has been quietly learning his craft ever since he turned pro. I believe that by staying under the radar and avoiding the hype that sometimes causes young contenders to lose their focus he has been given the opportunity to prepare well for his world title challenge.” She added, “We expect that negotiations with Sauerland Event will move forward this week and we will have something definitive to announce very soon.”