Dario Morello

Dario “Spartan” Morello, born on June 28, 1993, in Cetraro, Italy, is an Italian professional boxer who has built his career across the welterweight and middleweight divisions. A product of Italy's amateur system, Morello won national titles through several age groups before reaching the senior level and represented the Italia Thunder in the World Series of Boxing. He also won a bronze medal at the 2013 Bocskai István Memorial in the 69 kg division, gaining valuable experience against international opposition before turning professional in 2015.

Morello made his professional debut in September 2015 and steadily worked his way toward the Italian welterweight title, defeating veteran Tobia Giuseppe Loriga by unanimous decision in 2017. Two years later, he captured the WBO Global welterweight title with a points victory over Ahmed El Hamwi at the Allianz Cloud in Milan. His rise was interrupted in September 2019 when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Luther Clay in Florence, the first and only defeat of his professional career. Injuries and an extended period away from the ring followed, forcing Morello to reassess his career and eventually move up in weight.

The move to middleweight gave Morello a fresh start. Rather than continuing to force his body through demanding welterweight cuts, he settled into the 160-pound division and gradually rebuilt his momentum. Between 2022 and 2023, he picked up two UBO middleweight titles before making a more significant step forward in December 2023, when he defeated Joshua Nmomah to win the WBC Mediterranean middleweight championship. Morello successfully defended the title against Luca Chiancone in April 2024 and Felice Moncelli later that year, building a second chapter of his career around experience, timing, and a more measured approach in the ring.

In 2025, Morello added another major domestic achievement by defeating Yassin Hermi to become Italian middleweight champion. He followed that success by winning the EBU Silver middleweight title against Karol Welter on November 8, 2025, adding a significant European belt to his résumé. Morello's style has never been built around overwhelming punching power; with only a handful of stoppage victories, he is more comfortable dictating distance, changing rhythm, and forcing opponents to work at his pace. His experience across two weight classes and his ability to adjust during long fights have become central to the way he approaches boxing.

Morello's latest chapter has brought another opportunity on the European stage. In 2026, he vacated the EBU Silver middleweight title after suffering a biceps injury that forced him out of a scheduled bout with Paolo Bologna. Rather than stepping away from the division, Morello remains positioned near the top of the European middleweight scene and is set to challenge George Liddard for the vacant EBU European middleweight title on August 22, 2026. After rebuilding his career from the setbacks that followed his 2019 defeat, Morello now has the chance to turn his second run at middleweight into the biggest achievement of his career.