2016 Italian Olympian Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello will take on 2012 Canadian Olympian Simon “The Grizzly” Kean in a 10-round heavyweight battle on Saturday, Aug. 19 at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada. Vianello-Kean will serve as the co-feature to the light heavyweight showdown between WBC/WBO/IBF world champion Artur Beterbiev and WBC No. 1 contender Callum “Mundo” Smith.
Beterbiev-Smith and Vianello-Kean will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The card will air live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.
Vianello (10-1-1, 9 KOs) debuted in the paid ranks in December 2018 and won his first seven bouts in three rounds or less. His progress stalled after a 2020 draw against Kingsley Ibeh and an injury-filled 2021 in which he fought only once. The 29-year-old returned in July 2022 with a fourth-round TKO win against Rafael Rios. Three months later, he scored a dominant eight-round decision over Jay McFarlane in front of a hometown crowd in Rome. In his last fight, Vianello lost his '0' after a right hand from veteran Jonnie Rice caused a cut above his left eye, forcing the referee to end the bout in the seventh round. Vianello was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage.
Vianello said, “I’m in great shape and looking to avenge the freak accident that ended my fight last time. Simon Kean is a big name in Canada, and I’m coming for a knockout. This is my new era. I see only myself in the center of the ring, and any opponent is just stopping me from getting to where I want to be.”
Kean (23-1, 22 KOs) began his pro career in November 2015 and finished his first seven opponents in five rounds or less. Apart from his decision over Avery Gibson in 2017, all his victories have ended via knockout. He captured his first regional title with a third-round TKO against Adam Braidwood in June 2018. Four months later, he suffered a fourth-round TKO loss to Dillon Carman. The 34-year-old slugger bounced back with eight stoppage wins, including a third-round TKO over Carman in their 2019 rematch and a seventh-round TKO against former world title challenger Eric Molina in March.
Kean said, “Vianello is a big contender, the biggest challenge of my career, but I’m there. I'm training hard, and it paid off in my last fight. I'm a 2.0 version of ‘The Grizzly.’ Nothing has been left to chance in preparation for this fight against the Italian Olympian, and it promises to be a smashing victory for me!"
