There is anticipation for the Sardinia Boxing Night tomorrow 30 September, at the Monserrato Sports Hall, in the Aviation Field (formerly Section 8). Boxers Matteo Lecca and Iuliano Gallo will compete for the Italian "Super Gallo" title.
The town in the Cagliari hinterland had its own internationally renowned boxing champion: Fortunato Manca, nicknamed "The Bull of Monserrato". He was European welterweight champion and world junior middleweight title challenger, among other things. He died in 2008, and since then we have thought of naming something after him to keep his memory alive. It was done in 2015, with the naming of a square inside the roundabout between via Caracalla and via dell'Argine.
«But on the occasion of the 4th Fortunato Manca Memorial on 17 December 2016, the mayor Tomaso Locci promised to name the boxing gym in the now former Sector 8», says his daughter Carla: «To date, nothing has happened . Then Locci changed plans, saying that the naming would concern the gym-museum in via Tonara, in the former Alberto La Marmora middle school, where among other things my father worked for decades as a school assistant and gym caretaker. Unfortunately we haven't heard anything further about this either."
The daughter of the former boxer, referring to tomorrow's boxing match, warns: "I warn anyone not to mention my father, I don't allow his name to be exploited." Manca believes that the failure (for now) to name a gym after his father is «a sign of spite towards me for having pointed out the neglect of Piazza Fortunato Manca. After doing so, in fact, relations between me and the mayor cooled down, since then I have always said that I would no longer want any demonstration or dedication concerning my father from Locci, who in the past has always spent nice words in his comparisons".
Alessio Locci, former president of the Sports Commission and current municipal councilor, intervenes: «I regret that the mayor, during the Commission session on 20 September, belittled the figure of Fortunato Manca, given and considering the previous events and the intention to name to him first of all the gym in Section 8 and subsequently the gym of the former La Marmora school in via Tonara". Locci cites «the promise of naming the football field in section 8 after Raffaele Atzeni (known as Malliccu), which fell on deaf ears with the reasoning that many other sporting figures would have deserved this honor. What these figures are is currently unknown. An opportunity was missed to recognize the value of people who brought and supported Monserratino sport to very high levels. As long as I chaired the Sports commission", he continues, "I have always followed the programmatic lines at the beginning of the mandate, trying to enhance sports and permanently bring boxing back to Monserrato, giving space and listening to the many requests of citizens and sports associations. I hope that the gym in Via Tonara will be given to the associations for use."
Minority councilor Andrea Zucca also has his say: "In my opinion, the mayor's position taken during the Commission session on 20 September is incorrect, and it seems to me to be dictated by the alleged political positions of the former champion's family."