Visioli happy learning from decision wins, ready for bullish Hughes
Almost effortlessly, Giorgio Visioli boxed, counter-punched and moved through the early stages of his career towards the top of any list featuring Britain's brightest prospects.
Rather than taking the path of least resistance through the levels, the 23-year-old lightweight's team decided it was time he had a true test.
Visioli was forced to fight for every minute of a 10-round win over the aggressive Joe Howarth in December. He had to think his way through 10 rounds against a determined Levi Giles on March 21 too.
The skilled southpaw has emerged from those tests as English champion, armed with a greater appreciation of what championship level fighting is all about.
On Saturday, Visioli (11-0, 6 KOs) fights the experienced Maxi Hughes (29-9-2, 6 KOs) at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena. It will feature as part of the Dalton Smith-Alberto Puello undercard, streamed exclusively on DAZN.
“I always thought, 'I don't want to do English level. I just want to go straight there,'” Visioli told The Ring.
“But I sat down with my manager, the team and they said, 'No, do English level, they're tough guys and teach you a lot. They'll probably stay in there, not going to go straight down after one punch. They'll be there for 10 rounds in your face,' so I've learned a lot and picked up things.
Until running into the aggressive Howarth last year, Visioli had been able to control the tempo and range of his fights. A number of fighters walked directly into his well-designed traps, well-timed counter punches.
But not the week before Christmas. Fending off Howarth's rushes for 10 rounds taught him that any ambitious fighter won't allow him to find his groove, working at his own pace.
“People think that fight was close because he was coming forward. Don't get me wrong, I won unanimously but it was tough," he said.
“I’ve never experienced someone running me down for 10 rounds before. That was the tough part about it, telling myself 'focus, don't switch off,' but the boxing part was the easy bit. Those fights taught me a lot, especially the Howarth one, because when I went into Levi, was so much more relaxed.
Visioli may not have boxed since outpointing Giles in his first English title defense seven months ago, but hasn't been idle.
He and his trainer Mark Tibbs haven't thrown themselves into a full stylistic overhaul but Hughes presents a significant step up in competition. Provided things go to plan, it should mark his arrival as a true championship-level fighter.
Together, they have worked hard to ensure he's as well prepared as possible for the next stage of his career. Visioli has confidence those efforts have turned him into a more well-rounded fighter.
“Definitely because in between those months, I've just been in the gym learning and working on the craft, things I've done wrong in the Giles fight like putting my shots together more, not being hesitant to throw,” he said.
“You'll see a lot of different sides to me because it feels like I've been in camp throughout those six months. I've trained every day, not at really high intensity because I don't want to overwork my body before getting into camp.”
On March 14, Hughes made a short notice step up to junior welterweight and suffered a fifth-round stoppage defeat by Pierce O'Leary. Back down at lightweight, the 36-year-old veteran is a rock solid operator that will give Visioli a crystal clear picture of exactly where he stands.
“Of course. He’s not going to want to be beat by a new kid on the block, a new prospect. It doesn't really look good on him, that's what he's going to think, so he's going to come and give it his all. I know he will, he’s boxed at world level. Three world title eliminators, a British champion so yeah, he's taking it 100% seriously.”
He's stayed focused, worked through injuries and pressure, and proved his ability by stopping Matias to become world champion. Puello will be a very tough challenge with his experience and awkward southpaw style, but Smith seems hungry to prove that winning the title was just the beginning. Fighting in front of his home crowd in Sheffield should give him an extra boost. This has all the makings of a fantastic fight\! 
Best of luck to Dalton in his title defence\!
Dalton Smith - 139.6lbs 
Alberto Puello - 139.6lbs