By Mark Vester

Rome, Italy - Giacobbe Fragomeni (26-1-1) retained his WBC cruiserweight title by battling to a draw with Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (41-2-1). Judge Richard James Davies scored the bout 116-112 for Fragomeni, Robin Dolpierre had it 114-113 for Wlodarczyk, and Esa Lehtosaari scored it a 114-114 draw.

The 39-year-old Fragomeni used his speed and quick combinations to take charge in the early rounds, jumping in with punches and moving away from combinations. At the midway point, Wlodarczyk was able to start a rally as the champion was starting to get tired. In the eleventh round, Wlodarczyk knocked the champion down twice but the second knockdown was ruled out after the referee, Ian John-Lewis, ruled that he had hit the champ while he was still down. That decision played a huge role in the scorecards and the extra time given to the champion for recovery purposes helped him survive the fight.

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