RINGSPORT Magazine Exclusive: Gianluca Silenzi

The Great Britain & Ireland Amateur Challenge starts in two weeks time with eight young hopefuls looking to earn themselves a professional wrestling contract.  One of which is Heavy-Middleweight Gianluca Silenzi, a toolmaker by trade, was born in England and brought up in Italy as a child by his Italian grandparents. His Italian mother saw to it that he had a trade at his fingertips, and in both Turin and Milan, he worked as a toolmaker.

He naturally has a flair for languages and speaks French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and English. Gianluca has been resident in England for many years, but his Italian wife is pleased that he manages to spend months of the year in Italy's warm sunshine.

Dark-haired Gianluca Silenzi is still somewhat of an adonis of the mat in a manly kind of way. He is no muscle-bound heavyweight glamour boy and bears the scars of many a hard-fought contest without in any way detracting from a definite handsome appearance. Severe fights have led to cauliflower ears, a bloodbath in Scotland did no good to his nose, heavy forearm smashes have cut open his eyes and lips, and he has had the usual run of twists, sprains, and dislocations.

Out of the ring, always impeccably dressed, Gianluca carries his clothes with the air of an athlete, and when he opens his mouth to speak, a flow of interesting conversation in a soft, modulated voice adds to his charm.

What does Gianluca think of amateur wrestling?

“Well, first of all, it has treated me right and taught me a huge amount of skill and discipline, so I feel I have a duty to personally do the same by wrestling. That is why I go out there to wrestle rather than fight.

You generally find that the wrestlers who are all ballyhoo do not last very long.”

What does Gianluca think of the professional ranks?

“I obviously have the ambition to turn pro. I watch a great deal of the sport both at amateur and professional levels. I think the best wrestlers are those that have real skill on the mat, if they do not then not only do their opponents make them look silly, but the crowds soon tire of all the nonsense and expect to see some good wrestlers on every bill. I have had a few others from promoters wishing to give me an opportunity, but I would prefer to wait for a recognised promoter, of international standing to provide me my first engagements.”

Wrestling is a sport that attracts some of the finest-built men in the world of athletes, and Gianluca Silenzi is an outstanding example—an accomplishedamateur wrestler both in ring presence and appearance he has represented Italy at both European Youth and Amateur Level, winning several medals.

To keep in physical condition, Gianluca finds that match wrestling is the best training for wrestling and endeavors to average two or three contests a week throughout the year, combined with specialized gymnasium exercise.

At 22 years old and weighing 207 lbs, Gianluca can wrestle equally well in the Heavy-Middleweight class or the Open Heavyweight class.

Having said that, ‘Golden Boy’ Gianluca Silenzi is without a doubt one of the cleverest wrestling stars—a word of warning to those who might want to rough him up. Should the occasion warrant it, he can prove to be one of the roughest stars who ever climbed into the ring. No matter how tough the going, Gianluca certainly retaliates by dishing out the punishment in robust style if need be.