# Paolo Roberto

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.

## 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

Professional record breakdown :
| 33 matches | 28 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 13 | 3 |
| By decision | 15 | 1 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Stadium | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 28–4–1 | Sebastián Andrés Luján | KO | Baltic Hall, Mariehamn, Finland | 4 October 2003 | 2 | 1:22 | Mariehamn, Finland | Loses WBO Inter-Continental welterweight title |
| Win | 28–3–1 | Wayne Martell | TKO (cuts) | Kisahalli, Helsinki, Finland | 2 February 2003 | 10 | 1:52 | Helsinki, Finland | Wins WBO Inter-Continental welterweight title |
| Win | 27–3–1 | Raul Eduardo Bejarano | UD | Finland | 16 November 2002 | 12 | 3:00 | Helsinki, Finland | Wins WBC International welterweight title |
| Win | 26–3–1 | David Sarraille | TKO | Denmark, Odense Congress Center | 30 August 2002 | 2 | 2:02 | Odense, Denmark |
| Win | 25–3–1 | Gyorgy Bugyik | TKO | Gubbio, Umbria, Italy | 6 June 2002 | 2 | 1:59 | Gubbio, Italy |
| Win | 24–3–1 | Ron Pasek | KO | Cirkusbygningen, Copenhagen, Denmark | 6 April 2002 | 3 | 2:45 | Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| Loss | 23–3–1 | Armand Krajnc | UD | Hansehalle, Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany | 13 November 2001 | 12 | 3:00 | Lübeck, Germany | For WBO middleweight title |
| Win | 23–2–1 | Luiz Augusto Dos Santos | MD | Kisstadion, Budapest, Hungary | 6 June 2001 | 8 | 3:00 | Budapest, Hungary |
| Win | 22–2–1 | Edwin Murillo | KO | Estrel Convention Center, Neukölln, Berlin, Germany | 10 October 2000 | 1 | 0:50 | Berlin, Germany |
| Win | 21–2–1 | Anthony Ivory | UD | FTC Stadium, Budapest, Hungary | 28 August 2000 | 8 | 3:00 | Budapest, Hungary |
| Win | 20–2–1 | Henry Hughes | TKO | Preussag Arena, Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany | 4 June 2000 | 2 | 1:51 | Hannover, Germany |
| Loss | 19–2–1 | Javier Castillejo | TKO | Pabellon Europa, Leganes, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain | 19 September 1999 | 7 | 1:47 | Madrid, Spain | For WBC light middleweight title |
| Win | 19–1–1 | Stefan Dimitrov | TKO | Plaza de Toros La Cubierta, Leganes, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain | 14 April 1999 | 6 | 0:32 | Madrid, Spain |
| Win | 18–1–1 | Jesús Mayorga | UD | Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | 13 Feb 1999 | 8 | 3:00 | Las Vegas, USA |
| Win | 17–1–1 | David Baptiste | TKO | Everton Park Sports Centre, Liverpool, Merseyside, England | 19 December 1998 | 6 | 2:51 | Liverpool, England |
| Win | 16–1–1 | Djemal Mehmedov | TKO | York, Yorkshire, England | 26 September 1998 | 4 | 2:48 | York, England |
| Win | 15–1–1 | Armando Briganti | SD | Pesaro, Marche, Italy | 29 May 1998 | 8 | 3:00 | Pesaro, Italy |
| Win | 14–1–1 | Darryl Ruffin | UD | Ballys Park Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | 28 February 1998 | 8 | 3:00 | New Jersey, USA |
| Win | 13–1–1 | Darren Covill | PTS | Lee Valley Leisure Centre, Picketts Lock, London, England | 31 January 1998 | 6 | 3:00 | London, England |
| Win | 12–1–1 | Viktor Fesechko | PTS | Alexandra Pavilion, Muswell Hill, London, England | 14 October 1997 | 8 | 3:00 | London, England |
| Win | 11–1–1 | Danny Quacoe | PTS | San Gennaro Vesuviano, Campania, Italy | 9 August 1997 | 8 | 3:00 | San Gennaro Vesuviano, Italy |
| Win | 10–1–1 | Steve Goodwin | PTS | Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland | 5 July 1997 | 6 | 3:00 | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Win | 9–1–1 | Paul King | PTS | Brondby hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark | 24 January 1997 | 6 | 3:00 | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Win | 8–1–1 | Habib Ben Salah | TKO | Le Caire, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France | 19 September 1996 | 5 | 2:02 | Le Caire, France |
| Win | 7–1–1 | Josef Presinsky | UD | Walsleben, Brandenburg, Germany | 16 June 1996 | 6 | 3:00 | Brandenburg, Germany |
| Win | 6–1–1 | Carl Winston | PTS | Elephant & Castle Centre, Southwark, London, England | 29 November 1995 | 4 | 3:00 | London, England |
| Win | 5–1–1 | Ernie Loveridge | PTS | Town Hall, Battersea, London, England | 21 September 1995 | 4 | 3:00 | London, England |
| Loss | 4 – 1 – 1 | Dusty Miller | TKO | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England | 27 April 1995 | 2 | 2:28 | London, England |
| Draw | 4–0–1 | John Duckworth | PTS | Piccadilly, London, England | 7 November 1994 | 6 | 3:00 | London, England |
| Win | 4–0 | Roy Dehara | KO | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England | 29 September 1994 | 1 | 2:00 | London, England |
| Win | 3–0 | John Hughes | TKO | Tooting, London, England | 2 June 1994 | 1 | 0:21 | London, England |
| Win | 2–0 | Zoltan Dano | PTS | Budapest, Hungary | 27 February 1994 | 4 | 3:00 | Budapest, Hungary |
| Win | 1–0 | Laszlo Molnar | TKO | Turku, Finland | 18 December 1993 | 2 | 1:21 | Turku, Finland | |

## Minor titles held

| Preceded byVacant | WBC International welterweight title 16 November 2002 – 2 February 2003 Vacates | Succeeded byAlpaslan Aguzum |
| Preceded byVacant | WBO Inter-Continental welterweight title 2 February 2003 – 4 October 2003 | Succeeded bySebastián Andrés Luján |