Talented Gibbs lands Euro silver title fight
Max McCracken and Cori Gibbs…the may have to travel for title shot
AFTER 11, at times, frustrating years as a pro, Birmingham’s Cori Gibbs has the title fight his talents deserve.
The gifted lightweight, with only one loss in 21 contests, has been matched with Italian Gianluca Ceglia for the EBU European silver belt.
The contest is currently out for purse bids and 31-year-old Gibbs may have to travel to Rome for his opportunity.
That’s doesn’t bother Max McCracken, the respected trainer and manager guiding Cori. He said: “This is the opportunity he needs and it’s winnable.
“This is the opportunity to push Cori up the rankings. I believe he has world class talent, he just needs the right fight.”
He’s convinced this is the right fight.
Ceglia, from southern Italy’s Campania region, looks useful, but there’s nothing in his 28 bout record – five losses, one draw – to strike fear in opponents’ hearts. The 35-year-old has been stopped twice and doesn’t appear a “lights out” puncher, with only four wins coming inside distance.
Last year a European title fight with heavy hitting Sam Noakes ended in eight round defeat, the Italian retiring with a badly swollen right eye.
A 2022 bid for the same EBU belt ended in a points loss to Yvan Mendy, but he came back, strung together a run of results and took the “silver” belt by beating Frank Urquiaga. Ceglia has also held the IBF international title.
McCracken’s correct: this is Gibbs’ breakthrough fight after a career pitted by long ring absences. He shed rust in August at Birmingham’s Eastside Rooms by widely outpointing tough Peruvian Cesar Ignacio Paredes.
Max admitted: “Yes, it’s been too stop-start – before that he had three fights in three years.”
The former outstanding Birmingham amateur has the moves to be a ring marvel.
I’ve seen the boxer perform on many occasions. He does things not many can do, he’s smooth as melted butter. He has the looks, he has the class, he has the connections.
Gibbs appeared destined for a golden future after winning the huge and lucrative televised Boxxer tournament in 2021 – a one night, last man standing competition with a shared £100,000 prize pot.
After that, things didn’t go as expected. It’s not Cori’s fault, McCracken insists – promises of big show appearances have fallen through leaving Gibbs treading water.
In a shocking upset, Cori was outpointed by 41-year-old veteran Jimmy First in 2022. The result was beyond bizarre, with Gibbs repeatedly docked points for spilling an ill-fitting gumshield. Those points were the difference between victory and defeat and Gibbs later gained revenge.
Cori has talent to burn and victory over Ceglia will at last ignite a career that has smouldered for too long.