Paolo Roberto


Paolo Roberto is a Swedish ex-boxer, actor, and former TV host of partial Italian descent.

Boxing career

Roberto started to compete professionally at the age of 24, but had earlier competed in kickboxing where he became Swedish champion, and before that Taekwondo where he became Nordic champion and repeated Swedish champion. He was known for fighting a lot in the street.
He started off his career with four consecutive victories before running into trouble. After fighting a six-round draw against Roy Dehara he came back to the ring to be stopped in the second round against John Duckworth. His coach said in a post fight interview that Paolo refused to give up and that's probably why the referee stopped the fight. When asked about the incident Paolo simply said if he would give up in a street fight he would die. After his first loss he won fifteen straight fights before taking on the WBC light middleweight champion Javier Castillejo to whom he lost in the fifth round by referee stoppage. Roberto was behind on all scorecards at the time the fight was stopped.
Roberto then moved up in weight to challenge fellow countryman Armand Krajnc for his WBO middle weight title. In between those fights he had four wins. In the fight against Krajnc Roberto had the champion rocking on his feet in the opening round. A right hook stunned his opponent and he had to cover up against the ropes. Then later on in the fight Krajnc finally figured out his opponent and outboxed the smaller challenger.
Roberto then went back to his original weight class welterweight where after three fights he won the vacant WBC International Welterweight title against Raul Eduardo Bejarano. He then vacated his belt to fight for the WBO Inter-Continental welterweight title against Wayne Martell. Roberto dominated the fight and was winning when in the tenth round Martell's cut above his eye had gotten so bad the ring doctor decided he had had enough. In his first defense of his WBO title Roberto got knocked out in the second round against Sebastian Andres Lujan. He never fought professionally again.
All of Roberto's boxing matches took place outside of Sweden, including his championship fights, which were held in the Åland Islands, because pro boxing has been banned in Sweden since 1969.

Outside boxing

He was a participant in the first season of Let's Dance, the Swedish version of Dancing with the Stars.
He married Lena Arrelöv on 31 December 2003. The couple have one son, Enzo Antonio Roberto, born in 2004, and one daughter, Elisa Roberto, born in 2007. His early life is dramatized in the 1987 Swedish movie Stockholmsnatt. He is featured in some chapters of Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Played with Fire and played himself in the film based on the book.
Roberto has also talked openly of his conversion experience, which happened on a visit to St. Peter's in Rome. Wishing to approach the image of St. Michael the Archangel, he was told he was not allowed in that roped off area. He asked, "Well, why can those people go in?" "They are going to confession," the guard replied. He thought of the empty life he had lived to his present, and told the guard, "Well, I'm going to confession, too." After over an hour with the priest, he said he felt renewed. The girl he had travelled to Rome with is now his wife, Lena Arrelöv. Roberto recounted this episode of his life to Marcus Grodi on the "Journey Home" show of EWTN.

Scandals

In 2017, Roberto ended up on a couple of occasions in hot water for allegedly sexist jokes on social media, one in connection with metoo. However, after criticism from, among others, Gudrun Schyman, Roberto defended himself with the fact that it was a joke and the truly terrible are sexually abusive acts.
In May 2020, he was arrested on suspicion of buying sex from a young woman from another European country. The strike was made in an apartment in central Stockholm in a police operation. Roberto confirmed the sex purchase during a tv interview. In connection with this, he was dismissed from his program manager assignments on TV4.

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentMethodStadiumDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss28 – 4 – 1 Sebastián Andrés LujánKOBaltic Hall, Mariehamn, Finland4 October 200321:22 Mariehamn, FinlandLoses WBO Inter-Continental welterweight title.
Win28 – 3 – 1 Wayne MartellTKO Kisahalli, Helsinki, Finland2 February 2003101:52 Helsinki, FinlandWins WBO Inter-Continental welterweight title.
Win27 – 3 – 1 Raul Eduardo BejaranoUDFinland16 November 2002123:00 Helsinki, FinlandWins WBC International welterweight title.
Win26 – 3 – 1 David SarrailleTKODenmark, Odense Congress Center30 August 200222:02 Odense, Denmark-
Win25 – 3 – 1 Gyorgy BugyikTKOGubbio, Umbria, Italy6 June 200221:59 Gubbio, Italy-
Win24 – 3 – 1 Ron PasekKOCirkusbygningen, Copenhagen, Denmark6 April 200232:45 Copenhagen, DenmarkReturn to welterweight division.
Loss23 – 3 – 1 Armand KrajncUDHansehalle, Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany13 November 2001123:00 Lübeck, GermanyFor WBO middleweight title.
Win23 – 2 – 1 Luiz Augusto Dos SantosMDKisstadion, Budapest, Hungary6 June 200183:00 Budapest, Hungary-
Win22 – 2 -1 Edwin MurilloKOEstrel Convention Center, Neukölln, Berlin, Germany10 October 200010:50 Berlin, Germany-
Win21 – 2 – 1 Anthony IvoryUDFTC Stadium, Budapest, Hungary28 August 200083:00 Budapest, Hungary-
Win20 – 2 – 1 Henry HughesTKOPreussag Arena, Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany4 June 200021:51 Hannover, Germany-
Loss19 – 2 – 1 Javier CastillejoTKOPabellon Europa, Leganes, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain19 September 199971:47 Madrid, SpainFor WBC light middleweight title.
Win19 – 1 – 1 Stefan DimitrovTKOPlaza de Toros La Cubierta, Leganes, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain14 April 199960:32 Madrid, Spain-
Win18 – 1 – 1 Jesus MayorgaUDThomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States13 February 199983:00 Las Vegas, USA-
Win17 – 1 – 1 David BaptisteTKOEverton Park Sports Centre, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom19 December 199862:51 Liverpool, United Kingdom-
Win16 – 1 – 1 Djemal MehmedovTKOYork, Yorkshire, United Kingdom26 September 199842:48 York, United Kingdom-
Win15 – 1 – 1 Armando BrigantiSDPesaro, Marche, Italy29 May 199883:00 Pesaro, Italy-
Win14 – 1 – 1 Darryl RuffinUDBallys Park Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States28 February 199883:00 New Jersey, USA-
Win13 – 1 – 1 Darren CovillPTSLee Valley Leisure Centre, Picketts Lock, London, United Kingdom31 January 199863:00 London, United Kingdom-
Win12 – 1 – 1 Viktor FesechkoPTSAlexandra Pavilion, Muswell Hill, London, United Kingdom14 October 199783:00 London, United Kingdom-
Win11 – 1 – 1 Danny QuacoePTSSan Gennaro Vesuviano, Campania, Italy9 August 199783:00 San Gennaro Vesuviano, Italy-
Win10 – 1 – 1 Steve GoodwinPTSKelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom5 July 199763:00 Glasgow, United Kingdom-
Win9 – 1 – 1 Paul KingPTSBrondby hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark24 January 199763:00 Copenhagen, Denmark-
Win8 – 1 – 1 Habib Ben SalahTKOLe Caire, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France19 September 199652:02 Le Caire, France-
Win7 – 1 – 1 Josef PresinskyUDWalsleben, Brandenburg, Germany16 June 199663:00 Brandenburg, Germany-
Win6 – 1 – 1 Carl WinstonePTSElephant & Castle Centre, Southwark, London, United Kingdom29 November 199543:00 London, United Kingdom-
Win5 – 1 – 1 Ernie LoveridgePTSTown Hall, Battersea, London, United Kingdom21 September 199543:00 London, United Kingdom-
Loss4 – 1 – 1 Dusty MillerTKOYork Hall, Bethnal Green, London, United Kingdom27 April 199522:28 London, United Kingdom-
Draw4 – 0 – 1 John DuckworthPTSPiccadilly, London, United Kingdom7 November 199463:00 London, United Kingdom-
Win4–0 Roy DeharaKOYork Hall, Bethnal Green, London, United Kingdom29 September 199412:00 London, United Kingdom-
Win3–0 John HughesTKOTooting, London, United Kingdom2 June 199410:21 London, United Kingdom-
Win2–0 Zoltan DanoPTSBudapest, Hungary27 February 199443:00 Budapest, Hungary-
Win1–0 Laszlo MolnarTKOTurku, Finland18 December 199321:21 Turku, FinlandBoxing debut for Roberto.

Minor titles held