Anyone familiar with Francesco Grandelli will know that Liam Davies, in all likelihood, is in for a long night at the office.
The Donnington featherweight was supposed to collide with Zak Miller at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena, featuring on the undercard of Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin this Saturday.
Due to an injury sustained by Miller, though, Davies will instead lock horns with Grandelli in what promises to be an enthralling battle for the vacant European title.
Having delivered strong performances against Nathaniel Davies and Cristobal Lorente – who enter their rematch on April 17 – Grandelli is certainly no stranger to a fight at this level.
Despite losing to both world-ranked contenders, the Italian succeeded in showcasing the effectiveness of his style, repeatedly raining in heavy hooks and uppercuts while displaying intelligent footwork to plug away on the inside.
Unsurprisingly, his fan-friendly approach has been well-received in his home nation, where Grandelli tells Boxing News he has become a reputable customer.
“My trick was to never miss a match and try to give a show in every match, without ever thinking about the verdict or preserving myself, but trying to entertain the audience and give them great emotions.”
The 31-year-old’s willingness to seize every opportunity has brought him to this moment, taking on Davies in a fight his promoter, Christian Cherchi, negotiated with Queensberry Promotions.
But while talented fighters, such as Grandelli, have managed to come this far, Cherchi insists that staging boxing events in Italy is no easy task.
“It’s difficult because boxing, in general, is difficult to get attention. We had a period from the end of 2018 to May 2022, where we did shows with Matchroom and DAZN.
“When that period finished, we did some shows with Top Rank on ESPN, and Francesco fought a couple of times for European titles.
“Right now, we’re struggling a little bit. We have DAZN Italy, but it’s always difficult to put on something important. But we are trying every time.
“We also promote Cristobal Llorente. Llorente was the European champion and, when we finalised the deal for [Collins-Llorente 2], Llorente vacated the title.
“I worked with Queensberry to make the vacant title fight with Francesco. We knew three weeks before the announcement [on February 23] but, in any case, Francesco is always training, working in the gym and keeping himself in shape.”
Regarding his upcoming assignment, Grandelli believes his two fights with Collins and Llorente, both of which he lost by unanimous decision, have prepared him for an opponent of Davies’ quality.
Equally, the Italian feels his advantages in speed and movement should allow him to pull off a sizable upset.
“[Davies is] definitely a high-level opponent but I’ve fought other high-level opponents, so I’m not afraid of that.
“I think my mobility and speed [will play a factor]. [Davies] seems to be very strong, with a high intensity, but I think I’m faster and more agile.
“These are the matches that motivate me to give my best. I know that a win over him would take me to an even higher level.
“My aspiration is to get the world title and face the best champions. I know I’m missing a few steps, but we’re working on that. The goal is there.”
A world title shot against any of the featherweight champions, including Bruce Carrington, Rafael Espinoza, Brandon Figueroa and Angelo Leo, would certainly be a remarkable achievement for Grandelli, who has the chance to take himself one step closer towards that level with a win over Davies.