After years of work, sweat, blood and injuries, boxer Sébastien Bouchard sees the end of his journey in the ring approaching. On October 7th in Laval he wishes the WBC International title to everyone who has identified with the journey of this often bumpy fighter.
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For the pugilist from Baie-Saint-Paul, who has a record of 20-2-1 (9 KOs), this is the opportunity of a lifetime. His 26-year-old opponent from Montreal, Mazlum Akdeniz, is undefeated in 18 fights.
“I like the role of the underdog and I definitely do that. I feel very comfortable with that. For everyone who always thought I wasn’t going anywhere, I’m still fighting. I want my belt to be hung in the living room on the 8th morning for all these beautiful people,” Bouchard confided before a training session in Quebec this week.
Not a big luxury
The 36-year-old boxer talks about everyone who hasn’t believed in him forever, but also about everyone who sees him as a role model of resilience and a guy like them who makes it with his highs and his socks.
Nowadays he devotes himself to his business in the construction field. Every evening he drives from Charlevoix to his gym in Sainte-Foy to put on his gloves.
Bouchard is the guy who worked until his 12th pro fight before getting his first contract. He’s also the guy who suffered a torn tendon in each of his biceps twice, the last time four years ago at the Videotron Center, in the middle of a NABA belt fight.
“I am not the athlete who has had it easy and people are aware of the problems I have had. Life is hard for everyone and people can relate to that. They see that I’m still standing and stay there. If I win this belt, it will belong to everyone,” he said.
Time to see further
The pugilist from Charlevoix showed the usual seriousness in his training, despite the long daily work with his company in the construction sector. Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUÉBEC
The last 20 years of Bouchard’s life were dedicated to boxing. Although he says he is “a fighter at heart” and sees himself boxing “until he’s 75,” Bouchard still recognizes that the end is near.
He does not hide the fact that the meager income he earns from scholarships is not worth the physical and family sacrifices that his sport requires him to make, since he has a wife and three small children.
“If I could still have an impact on my family’s quality of life by fighting for big scholarships, I would continue. It’s hard for everyone and in the end it doesn’t do much,” says the open-hearted man, who assures that even this fight for a title won’t bring him any really interesting sum.
“Absolutely not! I will receive no worse amount, but you give a percentage to one and the other. You lose working hours. When you add it all up, there really isn’t much left. When I was alone, I told myself that it “It’s not important. There are people who are counting on me and I have to put bread on the table.”
Bouchard often says, half-jokingly, that when he leaves an amphitheater after a fight, he’s “the only one who still owes someone $20.” The anecdote makes you smile, but still reflects the great inequalities in the boxing world, where the jackpot remains reserved for the elite.
“I never claimed to be a Sidney Crosby, but I am a Steve Bégin, a good man in the third row who doesn’t cut corners. I went there because I am a professional in everything I do. On the other hand, a third-line player in hockey doesn’t make peanuts,” he noted.
A rare opportunity
Sébastien Bouchard spent hours preparing for the duel against his rival Mazlum Akdeniz. Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUÉBEC
Despite everything, what continues to motivate Bouchard are the rare opportunities, including the one he will experience on October 7th at Place Bell.
“The international title is the biggest before a World Cup. I’ve been waiting for this fight for a long time. They want to make my opponent shine, but I’m the old hand who comes there to crush his dreams. I’m the party crasher and the Bonhomme Sept Heures will be showing on October 7th!
“In my head I’m winning, for sure, for sure!” After that I see one last big fight, then maybe a smaller one, just to greet everyone. I’ve been doing this for 20 years and the thought of stopping makes me dizzy, but there are so many sacrifices that people don’t see,” he stressed.
During his long interview with Le Journal, Bouchard repeatedly praised his partner’s patience. Without having heard the slightest reproach from her, he still feels like he owes her something.
“In almost 20 years she hasn’t said a single word, but it’s me who is starting to realize that there are far more downsides than upsides to moving on. Even if I live my dream, at some point I have to be intelligent and make the right decisions for them,” he concluded, referring to his family cocoon.