QUEBEC | Wilkens Mathieu made his first professional fight at home and continued his comeback by defeating Mexico's Jose Arias Alvarez on Saturday evening at the Videotron Center.
• Also read: Beterbiev defeated Smith in the 7th round
The Quebecer (6-0-0, 3 KOs) was also the first to shake up the Videotron Center, which was already pretty packed when he entered the ring. He defeated Arias Alvarez (3-2-0, 1 KO) by unanimous decision (40-36, 40-35, 40-35).
The super middleweight from Quebec dominated the duel from start to finish against a far too arrogant rival who didn't produce much and was mostly content to defend himself against an opponent who had the situation under control. Mathieu didn't really notice his opponent's stance.
“It didn't affect me at all, I'm naturally calm and don't get carried away by emotions even if my opponent tries to be sloppy.”
Thank you Quebec
The 19-year-old believes he put up a good fight in all four rounds.
“He didn't dare to do too much, so it was difficult for me to throw the shots I wanted to throw. I still did what I had to do and I’m happy.”
He obviously noted the crowd's support and asserts that it played a role in his victory.
“I felt lively, and I think that's partly because the audience gave me a lot of energy. I didn't expect that, it's incredible! I would have liked a knockout at the show because it's hard to describe how I felt, the audience carried me away. I want to reach a final in Quebec by the end of the year.”
Leila Beaudoin Courtesy of Eye of the Tiger Management/Vincent Ethier
Beaudoin takes revenge
At this gala there was a women's fight, a super featherweight duel.
Leila Beaudoin (11-1-0, 1 KO) from Témiscouata returned the favor against Elizabeth Espinoza (4-6-3, 1 KO). Beaudoin won by unanimous decision (78-74, 78-74, 77-75), although it seemed obvious that the Mexican, who had inflicted her only career defeat, had the upper hand.
“I knew I had won, I was confident in what I had done. “I slowed down a little in the last two rounds because I hurt my right hand,” admitted Beaudoin, who often gave the center of the ring to his opponent. “I'm good at going forward and pushing through, but I'm also very comfortable going along the wires and moving around.”
The locals win
In the opener, the average Moreno Fendero (3-0-0, 2 KOs) made short work of the poor Mexican Victor Hugo Flores (7-3-0, 3 KOs), who put his knee on the ground twice in the first round. He appeared ready to continue the fight when the referee vetoed the fight after just 2:16 minutes.
Christopher Guerrero (10-0-0, 5 KOs) undoubtedly had more trouble than expected against Mexican Sergio Herrera (7-4-0, 4 KOs) in the welterweight division. The Montrealer ultimately won by unanimous decision (79-73, 79-73, 78-74).
Christopher Guerrero Courtesy of Eye of the Tiger Management/Vincent Ethier
In the light heavyweight division, Mehmet Unal (8-0-0.7 KOs) celebrated his 31st birthday by defeating Dragan Lepei (22-7-2, 10 KOs) with a right-to-left hook combination that landed the Italian in the 57th Boden sent second in the first round. Visibly shaking, he could no longer continue and the referee ended the duel.
In the final bout of the undercard, Imam Khataev (6-0-0, 6 KOs), another Eye of the Tiger Management protégé, captured the NABF light heavyweight belt by easily defeating Poland's Michal Ludwiczak (17-12- 1, 9 KOs). This one, who nevertheless behaved like a peacock at the official weigh-in, went down for the first time in the second round. A few moments later, Khataev began throwing several punches and the referee ended hostilities at 2:17.
Imam Khataev courtesy of Eye of the Tiger Management/Vincent Ethier