In the span of a little over two years, Giorgio Visioli has gone from his professional debut to the opportunity to fight for a regional belt. And the lightweight prospect doesn’t sound like he’ll be slowing his pace in 2026.
But first he needs to get through his final fight of 2025.
This is the fifth bout of the year for Visioli, a 22-year-old from Aldershot, England. He won his first two matches by stoppage, the next two on the scorecards, and now is about to face Joe Howarth for the English title at 135lbs.
Visioli-Howarth headlines on Wednesday, December 17 at the Indigo at The O2 in London. The card will stream on DAZN starting at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (7 p.m. GMT).
“It’s a massive night for me,” Visioli, 9-0 (6 KOs), said in a press release.
Howarth, a 23-year-old from Wigan, is 14-1 (4 KOs). His loss came in a narrow referee’s decision in 2023 against Josh Sandford, who was 4-0 at the time and is now 8-2-1. Since then, Howarth has won seven in a row, including three fights in 2025. Most recently, he outpointed a 9-59-1 opponent in October.
"I don’t overlook Joe at all – he’s a very good opponent. He’s got a good record, with only one loss on it. I train hard for every fight and I never underestimate anybody,” Visioli said. "But I genuinely believe that I will be a future world champion, so it’s no disrespect to Joe but this is just a stepping stone for me and where I want to get to, pushing on for major titles in 2026.”
Visioli’s fights have come underneath prominent main events: George Liddard vs. Derrick Osaze in January; Dalton Smith vs. Mathieu Germain in April; Galal Yafai vs. Francisco Rodriguez Jnr in June and Jaron “Boots” Ennis vs. Uisma Lima in October.
"The last six months have worked out perfectly for me,” Visioli said. “My social media is growing, and it’s more than I could have asked for since turning pro. I might not be the biggest of talkers, but I don’t need to be, as my boxing does the talking for me in the ring.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
