Propsect of the Month (October): Armando Casamonica

Fighters can come from anywhere. The boxing world is littered with high-level, highly skilled, and overlooked fighters, who come from all over the world. This month's Prospect of the Month comes from Rome, Italy, not a hotbed for boxing. The super lightweight division is an intriguing and wide-open division. Armando Santamonica should now have his name mentioned among the top prospects in the division. The 23-year-old is known as "La Furia del Quadraro". The Fury of the South Eastern district of Rome put on an eye-catching performance. Taking on the biggest taking on the biggest challenge of his career in Patrizo Santini, "La Furia del Quadraro" scored the biggest win of his career, moved his record to 12-0 (3), took home our Prospect of the Month award, and established himself at the European level for now.

At just 5'5, Casamonica was going to have to get on to the inside and back Santini up, making him uncomfortable. That's exactly what the short Super Lightweight was able to do. Throwing quick, sharp combinations got him onto the inside, where he would shoe-shine and score with accuracy. Casamonica continued to pump the double jab and get on to the inside. He demonstrated a level of quickness and athleticism that Santini had no hope of matching. Midway through the third, the Roman landed a left hand from the southpaw stance that buzzed his opponent. Casamonica slammed on the gas and unleashed a prolonged combination with Santini up against the ropes, which had the ref looking in closely. Casamonica kept up the high work rate, and with combination punching, he switched seamlessly between the southpaw and conventional stance, keeping Santini uncomfortable. In round six, again in the southpaw stance, he staggered Santini with a left and trapped him in the corner. Casamonica went for broke and was awarded a knockdown. Santini continued, but Casamonica unleashed a whirlwind of punches and overwhelmed Santini, bringing in the referee to call a halt to the bout with roughly a minute to go in the sixth. Casamonica improved to 12-0 (3), and Santini fell to 10-2 (3).

At 23 years old, Casamonica has an extremely high ceiling. He sports a fan-friendly style and the skills and athleticism to beat top-notch fighters. When looking at his direct future, one name comes to mind, fellow Italian and Italian Super Lightweight champ Stefano Ramundo. This would be the logical next step. Other than the Italian scene, a win over a top-notch veteran would make a lot of sense for the Italian. A name like Cletus Seldin could sell in NY. A Kendo Castaneda or Samuel Teah would be an excellent challenge if Casamonica is successful, and would put his name on the international radar.