[1] Bazán then ran into three ships owned by Barbary corsair Ali Arraez Rabazin, known by the war name of "Samson",[4] a Ferrarese renegade converted to Islam who harassed the coasts of Sicily, Naples and Spain.

The corsair accepted battle despite his large disadvantage in numbers, trusting the size and artillery of his three galleons, composed by a 40-gun Danish ship, a 28-gun French one and a 18-gun Flemish one, all of which he ordered to open fire.

[2] Bazán knew his own artillery pieces were fewer, but superior in quality, caliber and range, therefore he eschewed boarding and, forming his fleet in a half moon, opened fire on the Tunisians while keeping distance, so they would be rendered unable to hit him back.

[5][8] Increasingly punished, Rabazin on against the encircling Bazán on the hope of ramming his way out of the gulf, but the Christian galleys surrounded him and overwhelmed his flagship with artillery fire, killing 100 of his 300-men crew.

[11] Bazán ordered his captain Simón Costa to repair the galleons to take them back to Sicily, and distributed the corsair ships' booty among his crews as a prize for the victory.