Giacobbe Fragomeni And Zsolt Erdei Weigh-In, Fragomeni 17-pounds Heavier At 195.8-Pounds

by James Slater – All set to meet in Germany on Saturday night, WBC cruiserweight champion Giacobbe Fragomeni and challenger Zsolt Erdei have officially weighed-in. As reported by FightNews.com, Italy’s Fragomeni tipped in at 195.8-pounds, while long-reigning WBO light-heavyweight champion Erdei of Hungary weighed-in at the significantly lower weight of just 178.8-pounds.

Does this advantage in poundage mean the older man at age 40 will be the physically stronger man, who is able to bully his 35-year-old challenger come fight time? Giving so much weight away, Erdei, who has also been inactive since his January win over Yuri Barashian (when he made the eleventh retention of his WBO 175-pound belt), looks the underdog in the fight in my eyes now..

The unbeaten fighter, at 30-0(17) may also be the better boxer, but Frageomeni is as tough as they come and his tactics are always pretty much the same: to wear an opponent down with sheer pressure and work rate. With such a weight advantage in is favour, surely he will have a good shot at being able to get the job done in Germany.

Possessing a most reliable chin, the slightly shorter man at 5’9.5″ (Erdei stands 5’10”) has lost only once, and that was to current WBA heavyweight champ David Haye, in a great fight back in November 2006. Since then the tank-like Italian has won five and drawn one, and he has also won and defended his WBC cruiserweight belt. The title win came against Rudolf Kraj of The Czech Republic, and the draw came last time out, against Poland’s Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, back in May of this year.

The proven fighter at the 200-pound limit, Fragomeni will surely have been as surprised as I am when he saw what his rival tipped in at. Never before having such a weight advantage (at least as far as I can find on any records), the 26-1-1(10) champion must feel as though luck is on his side. Or did the talented and unbeaten Erdei come in so low on purpose, as he intends to present a most fleet footed target in the fight?

More versatile than Fragomeni, Erdei is capable of boxing on the back-foot, but eventually the defending champion’s strength and pressure figure to take their toll on the vastly lighter man. Should he indeed lose on Saturday, you can bet money on how Erdei will blame the loss on his messing up the weight.

Will the younger man weaken under the genuine cruiserweight’s physical approach? This will be the big question as soon as the bell rings in Germany. I think, at a mere three and-a-bit pounds above the light-heavyweight limit, he will. He may be able to hang on and last to the final bell, but I don’t see Erdei winning the fight.

40-year-old Fragomeni could be on the verge of his most impressive victory as a pro.