Home » Vincenzo Learned, the return to Vigevano in the memory of his friend who died in the ring

Vincenzo Learned, the return to Vigevano in the memory of his friend who died in the ring

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The former boxer will be in Cologno today for the naming of the sports hall after De Chiara; tomorrow the presentation of the book “The master and the champion”

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Vincenzo Imparato returns to Italy, in his Vigevano, after almost three years of absence, held overseas by business and the pandemic, to hug relatives and friends, but also to participate in two events that deeply affect his career as a boxer and his life: today he will be in Cologno Monzese, for the naming of the city sports hall to Fabrizio De Chiara, the fraternal friend who died on November 17, 1996, just 25 years old, after a blow taken the night before in the ring, in the match that opposed him in Avenza to Vincenzo for the conquest of the Italian middleweight title; tomorrow afternoon in Piazza Ducale, the painting – for the first time in attendance – of the book “The master and the champion”, by Luisa Mandrino (Blonk) who tells of his experience as a boy from the South who became someone thanks to the hard profession of boxing, and of the relationship with Ciro Converti, the master of the Vigevanese Boxing Association who recognized his talent and knew how to enhance it.

The tragic end of De Chiara inevitably marked Learned forever, who never lost contact with Fabrizio’s family. «The father – he explains – unfortunately passed away in August, he will not be able to attend the naming of the building. They wanted to dedicate it to a former AC Milan player, I said that not paying homage to Fabrizio would have been a scandal ».

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The former boxer – in the palmares, among other things, the tricolor crown of the middleweight and the intercontinental title of the Wbu supermedium, snatched in 2001 from the American Derrick Whitley – has lived and worked for years in New York, with his wife and two daughters, now twelve years old. «I set up a small company for the importation of coffee – says Imparato – coffee not only Italian, but of many other types. We supply it to restaurants. The pandemic? There was a crisis, but the government helped us with the refreshments. And it has also helped families. Now we are recovering ». Vincenzo, 51 years old (he will turn 52 next December 28), is still following boxing: «A lot has changed compared to my times, there aren’t many real champions around. In Italy, the new talents are almost all children of immigrants. Our young people no longer want to “go hungry”, to sacrifice themselves. I also say this to my daughters. Fifty years ago it was up to us originally from the South to make our way, earn our loaf even with hard work such as boxing. Now everything is different ».

Luisa Mandrino, neighbor of the Imparato family during the Gambolò years, with her book retraces the human and professional parable of the boxer Learned: the first punches at 17, the meeting with Converti, the first victories and the first disappointments, the match for the tricolor title against his friend De Chiara, known in the national team, rival in the ring that damned November 16th. «It was a very tough match – explains the writer – Vincenzo and Fabrizio were friends outside the square but that evening there was a stake in the title and the two were giving everything, as it is obvious that it was. On the twelfth round, Enzo with a right sent De Chiara to the ropes. Then he collapsed and went into a coma, so as not to recover ». Learned later he continued to fight, but the book describes his suffering, his inner struggle. “Boxing cost him great sacrifices and gave him this immense pain, but it was also a means of social redemption and personal affirmation”. –

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