Paolo Roberto (born 3 February 1969) is a Swedish actor, television presenter, restauranteur and ex-boxer of partial Italian descent. During his boxing career, he held several titles. He has starred in several movies and hosted several television programs, including as host of the cooking show Primo Paolo. His acting debut was in Stockholmsnatt, where he starred himself in a dramatization of his early life.

Boxing career Roberto was born in Upplands Väsby, Stockholms län. He 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 15 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 Åland, because pro boxing has been banned in Sweden since 1969. The ban was lifted in 2007

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. Roberto and Arrelöv divorced in 2012. 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 (the great "fighter" of the Heavenly Host), 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 was criticized in the press for allegedly making sexist jokes on social media, one of which was in connection with Metoo. After criticism from, among others, Gudrun Schyman, Roberto defended himself with the fact that it was a joke and sexually-abusive acts are truly terrible.

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 television interview. In connection, he was dismissed from his program manager assignments on TV4 and dropped by the company representing his selling of Italian Food range Paolos.

Professional boxing record

Result Record Opponent Method Stadium Date Round Time Location NotesLoss28–4–1 Sebastián Andrés Luján KO Baltic Hall, Mariehamn, Finland 21:22 Mariehamn, FinlandLoses WBO Inter-Continental welterweight titleWin28–3–1 Wayne Martell TKO (cuts) Kisahalli, Helsinki, Finland 101:52 Helsinki, FinlandWins WBO Inter-Continental welterweight titleWin27–3–1 Raul Eduardo Bejarano UD Finland 123:00 Helsinki, FinlandWins WBC International welterweight titleWin26–3–1 David Sarraille TKO Denmark, Odense Congress Center 22:02 Odense, DenmarkWin25–3–1 Gyorgy Bugyik TKO Gubbio, Umbria, Italy 21:59 Gubbio, ItalyWin24–3–1 Ron Pasek KO Cirkusbygningen, Copenhagen, Denmark 32:45 Copenhagen, DenmarkLoss23–3–1 Armand Krajnc UD Hansehalle, Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany 123:00 Lübeck, Germany For WBO middleweight titleWin23–2–1 Luiz Augusto Dos Santos MD Kisstadion, Budapest, Hungary 83:00 Budapest, HungaryWin22–2–1 Edwin Murillo KO Estrel Convention Center, Neukölln, Berlin, Germany 10:50 Berlin, GermanyWin21–2–1 Anthony Ivory UD FTC Stadium, Budapest, Hungary 83:00 Budapest, HungaryWin20–2–1 Henry Hughes TKO Preussag Arena, Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany 21:51 Hannover, GermanyLoss19–2–1 Javier Castillejo TKO Pabellon Europa, Leganes, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain 71:47 Madrid, Spain For WBC light middleweight titleWin19–1–1 Stefan Dimitrov TKO Plaza de Toros La Cubierta, Leganes, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain 60:32 Madrid, SpainWin18–1–1 Jesús Mayorga UD Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 13 Feb 199983:00 Las Vegas, USAWin17–1–1 David Baptiste TKO Everton Park Sports Centre, Liverpool, Merseyside, England 62:51 Liverpool, EnglandWin16–1–1 Djemal Mehmedov TKO York, Yorkshire, England 42:48 York, EnglandWin15–1–1 Armando Briganti SD Pesaro, Marche, Italy 83:00 Pesaro, ItalyWin14–1–1 Darryl Ruffin UD Ballys Park Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States 83:00 New Jersey, USAWin13–1–1 Darren Covill PTS Lee Valley Leisure Centre, Picketts Lock, London, England 63:00 London, EnglandWin12–1–1 Viktor Fesechko PTS Alexandra Pavilion, Muswell Hill, London, England 83:00 London, EnglandWin11–1–1 Danny Quacoe PTS San Gennaro Vesuviano, Campania, Italy 83:00 San Gennaro Vesuviano, ItalyWin10–1–1 Steve Goodwin PTS Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland 63:00 Glasgow, ScotlandWin9–1–1 Paul King PTS Brondby hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark 63:00 Copenhagen, DenmarkWin8–1–1 Habib Ben Salah TKO Le Caire, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France 52:02 Le Caire, FranceWin7–1–1 Josef Presinsky UD Walsleben, Brandenburg, Germany 63:00 Brandenburg, GermanyWin6–1–1 Carl Winston PTS Elephant & Castle Centre, Southwark, London, England 43:00 London, EnglandWin5–1–1 Ernie Loveridge PTS Town Hall, Battersea, London, England 43:00 London, EnglandLoss4 – 1 – 1 Dusty Miller TKO York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England 22:28 London, EnglandDraw4–0–1 John Duckworth PTS Piccadilly, London, England 63:00 London, EnglandWin4–0 Roy Dehara KO York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England 12:00 London, EnglandWin3–0 John Hughes TKO Tooting, London, England 10:21 London, EnglandWin2–0 Zoltan Dano PTS Budapest, Hungary 43:00 Budapest, HungaryWin1–0 Laszlo Molnar TKO Turku, Finland 21:21 Turku, Finland

Minor titles held

References

External links