PHILADELPHIA — Guido "The Gladiator" Vianello was fighting for his relevance. The 31-year-old Italian heavyweight had lost two of his last three fights entering his pivotal 10-round bout with 30-year-old Canadian southpaw Alexis Barriere on Saturday night.

After a slow start, Vianello may have captured the biggest victory of his professional career, stopping the previously undefeated Barriere in the fifth round of the scheduled 10-round co-feature on the Jaron “Boots” Ennis-Uisma Lima undercard at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Referee Ricky Gonzalez waved it over at 26 seconds of the fifth round, giving Vianello (14-3-1, 12 KOs) the victory.

“I want Anthony Joshua next,” Vianello proclaimed. “This was the biggest win of my career.”

Vianello, who suffered a 10-round split decision defeat by Efe Ajagba in April 2024 before a lopsided 10-round points loss by U.S. Olympian Richard Torrez Jr. 12 months later, needed redemption.

It came in the fourth round, when he knocked Barriere (12-1, 10 KOs) down for the first time in his career under a barrage of punches. Until then, Barriere was having the better of Vianello.

Through the first two rounds, Barriere kept strafing Vianello with a straight left and there seemed Vianello had no answer for it. Then, Vianello struck in the fourth, dropping Barriere.

Barriere survived to last the fourth, setting up the dramatic ending, when Vianello finished Barriere with a straight right that actually seemed to miss the Canadian southpaw.

Still, the 30-year-old was probably out on his feet anyway from a heavy left Vianello landed on Barriere’s forehead just prior to the Canadian hitting the canvas.

Vianello, 247½, certainly looked the part of a heavyweight contender when he entered the ring to the theme song from the movie “Gladiator,” wearing a very shiny silver Spartan helmet. Until stopping Barriere, ten pounds lighter, the Italian had not done much to prove it each time his opposition stepped up.

Maybe this changes his career arc.