Guido Vianello and Moses Jolly Fight to Draw at The O2

London, England, UK - Guido Vianello was unable to secure a victory in his Queensberry debut on Saturday, fighting unbeaten British heavyweight Moses Jolly to a draw at The O2 Arena in London.

After eight competitive rounds, referee Lee Every scored the contest 76-76, leaving neither heavyweight with the victory on the undercard of Moses Itauma vs. Filip Hrgovic.

The result moves Vianello's record to 14-3-2 (12 KOs), while Jolly remains unbeaten at 12-0-1 (8 KOs).

Vianello entered the contest as a significant favourite and appeared to have the advantage in class and experience. The 32-year-old Italian established himself early, repeatedly finding Jolly with the right hand as the aggressive Brit attempted to close the distance.

Vianello's cleaner punching continued through the early rounds. He caught Jolly coming forward with counters, landed combinations at close range and appeared to be building an advantage.

But Jolly simply kept coming.

The 26-year-old increased the pressure as the fight developed, forcing Vianello backwards and turning the contest into an increasingly physical battle.

By the fourth round, the pace appeared to be taking a toll on Vianello. Jolly attacked the body and continued pushing forward, while the Italian began looking noticeably more fatigued than he had during the opening rounds.

There was another concern for Vianello when damage to his ear prompted an inspection from the ringside doctor during the fifth. After an extended examination, the fight was allowed to continue.

Jolly immediately attempted to capitalize, maintaining his pressure even as Vianello continued landing the more accurate individual punches.

Vianello rallied in the sixth, finding Jolly with counters and doing some effective work to the body. The seventh was a scrappy affair, with neither heavyweight able to establish clear control.

That left plenty still to be decided entering the eighth and final round.

Vianello produced a strong finish, landing several combinations and again appearing to connect with the cleaner punches. Jolly, however, continued marching forward and applying pressure until the final bell.

The official verdict was 76-76.

It was a frustrating result for Vianello, who appeared to produce the sharper and more technically polished work for significant portions of the fight but could never completely discourage Jolly.

For Jolly, the draw represents a significant step forward.

He entered the fight with a perfect 12-0 record but faced a considerable jump in opposition against a heavyweight who owns victories over Arslanbek Makhmudov and Alexis Barriere and has competed with contenders including Efe Ajagba and Richard Torrez Jr.

Jolly didn't get the biggest victory of his career, but he proved he could compete at a considerably higher level than anything he had previously encountered.

Vianello, meanwhile, leaves London without the victory he was expected to secure and with more questions surrounding his position in the heavyweight division.

On a night when Vianello was supposed to take care of business, Jolly refused to cooperate.