Fighting almost exclusively in his native Italy, he would spend the next nine years undefeated, save for a points draw against Viktor Baranov on 19 October 1998.
Two successful defences of the title were made, against George Scott on 17 November 2001 (sixth-round technical decision) and Allan Vester on 9 March 2002 (tenth-round stoppage).
By the tenth round, with the fight still close, Gatti turned the tide decisively in his favour when he scored a knockdown against Branco.
[4] Having moved up in weight, Branco made his first of two attempts at winning the European welterweight title, on 26 March 2010, but lost a UD to Matthew Hatton.
On 22 November 2014, Branco succeeded in his second attempt at winning the now-vacant European welterweight title, by forcing Rafał Jackiewicz to retire in his corner after six rounds.