Steve Vukosa W8 Juiseppe Cusumano... Massachusetts heavyweight Steve Vukosa (12-1) continued an unnlikely late-career run on Friday at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island. The 42 year-old, who took fourteen years off, and then another four years off, was brought in as an opponent but upset Juiseppe Cusumano (18-3) by unanimous eight-round decision. The slick southpaw used his elusive head movement and footwork to frustrate the heavy-handed Cusumano, scoring a knockdown in the third round that all but secured the fight on the scorecards despite a rally by Cusumano down the stretch. Judges Martha Tremblay and Eddie Scuncio scored it 76-75 while Steve Smoger saw it 77-74 in favor of Vukosa.

 

Cusumano, who had won three in a row and 16 of 17, lost for the first time since June of 2018. Vukosa, “The Gentle Giant,” just came out of retirement in July, ending a four-plus year layoff with a win over Justin Rolfe in New Hampshire. He was also inactive for a 12-year stretch between 2002 and 2014, returning to the ring at the age of 37 to upset former U.S. Olympian and Providence, RI, native Jason Estrada.

 

Cusumano looked sharp in the first two rounds, but ran into a right cross that sent him tumbling to the canvas late in the third round. Vukosa poured it on in the closing seconds, but ran out of time, allowing Cusumano to regain his composure heading into the middle portion of the fight. It appeared Cusumano had momentum in his favor again until the seventh round when Vukosa – now in a comfort zone – cracked Cusumano with five clean left hands, using his awkward southpaw style to take control of the fight.   source: ces press release