The fine art isn’t exactly in its prime, but the gala, which will see unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev take on contender Callum Smith on August 19 at the Videotron Center, will be the “true boxing revival” in Quebec said Eye of the Tiger Management President Camille Estephan.
“It is a great pride to bring this fight here. For those who doubt boxing is healthy in Quebec, we show we can still do great things. We will maintain this momentum in the years to come,” said the man who organizes the evening in cooperation with Top Rank and Matchroom Boxing.
The news initially rumored by colleague Réjean Tremblay is thus confirmed. This will be the first world title fight in Quebec City since the dramatic finale on December 1, 2018 between Adonis Stevenson and Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
On this occasion, Estephan expects at least 5,000 people to watch the duel between the WBC, WBO and IBF champion and the mandatory WBC contender. The evening will be broadcast on ESPN and the web platform Punching Grace.
Meanwhile, while the promoter talks about making history, coach Marc Ramsay described Beterbiev as “the best show in Quebec, all sports combined.”
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Camille Estephan, President of Eye of the Tiger Management
The best so far
Beterbiev was absent from the press conference at the Videotron Center as the adopted Montrealer was already training at altitude in his native Russia.
In Ramsay’s eyes, Britain’s Smith will undoubtedly be his biggest challenge yet as he suffered his only loss in 30 fights against Canelo Alvarez in December 2020.
“He’s the best boxer we’ve ever faced,” said the veteran, who will look after Beterbiev exclusively while his other protégé, Christian Mbilli, remains in the good care of Russ Anber and Samuel Décarie.
“It’s not a situation I like, but the scale of this fight means I can’t put my mind to different places. My full attention will be on Artur.
“Smith is a complete boxer at 6’1” and has a long reach. He has great skill, speed and power. It’s a complex file, but an intriguing challenge for us,” Ramsay continued.
The latter didn’t hide that the first choice would have been to face WBA champion Dmitrii Bivol, but “on the negotiation side, it’s very closed on the other side,” he reported.
Kean an action
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Before the press conference, Simon Kean spoke to Leïla Beaudoin.
In addition to Beterbiev, fans can keep an eye on several big names in boxing in Quebec.
Among the heavyweights, trifluvien Simon Kean (23-1, 22 KOs) will fight his first fight since beating Eric Molina in March. Another win would propel him into the top 10 in the world.
“We had preparatory struggles to gradually rise and we faced the big challenges in American television networks. I think I’m in my prime. We’ll mature the heavyweights later,” noted the 34-year-old pugilist, who is rumored to be in the arena against Otto Wallin (25-1, 14 KOs), though nothing is confirmed.
Leila wants to shine
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Three Quebec-based boxers will be in action, namely Leïla Beadoin, Wilkens Mathieu and Clovis Drolet.
WBC Continental Americas and WBA International super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli (24-0, 20 KOs) will be in action, but his rival is also unconfirmed. It’s the same situation with all other boxers.
The undercard will also feature Leïla Beaudoin (9-1, 1 KO), who was declared the controversial loser in her last bout despite breaking the jaw of her Mexican rival. She has since been ranked fifth in the world by The Ring and ninth by the WBA.
“The ring announcement says a lot about my final fight decision. I want to show what I’m capable of against a big opponent to make my mark on the international stage,” she said.
The other boxers involved are Wilkens Mathieu (2-0, 1 KO) and Clovis Drolet (13-1, 9 KO), who will return after a two-year absence.
Ticket sales begin on Friday afternoon.
Christian Mbilli is back from hell
French-born Montrealer Christian Mbilli believes his legendary fight against Carlos Gongora on March 23, in which he struggled to maintain his perfect record, will help him get to the next level.
In an unforgettable eighth round, Mbilli faltered after several hard punches. He came to his senses, finished strong and is considered the No. 1 contender for the WBC crown held by unified champion Canelo Alvarez.
Mbilli has since reviewed the fight and believes this moment of doubt can only serve him well for the rest of his career in full swing.
“When you come back from hell, like I experienced in round eight, you come back up. I only regret one thing and that is not dancing in these abysses anymore. This fight taught me a lot about myself. I knew I was a warrior and knew all my abilities, but when you have abilities that you never use, you lose them. After this fight I’m ready for a world championship. That fire that is within me burns even stronger today,” he said.
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Christian Mbilli holds the WBC Continental Americas and WBA International belts.
Fresh as a rose
Although he admits to having been shaken, Mbilli assures that he does not feel the slightest physical or psychological consequences of this war.
“The next day I went jogging! I’m someone who’s recovering reasonably well. I’m ready to put on another big show for Quebecers. I can’t wait to put on another great fight, but not another eight round like I’ve known! With several rounds like this, my career wouldn’t last long,” he smiled.
His opponent is yet to be determined, but he knows the world’s elite are becoming increasingly aware of his immense potential.
“After this fight, my opponents ask for even more. It’s part of the game,” remarked the one who calls Artur Beterbiev his big role model.
“Fighting under the map with him is truly a privilege and I have to show that I am the future. I’ll be there after him,” he said.
As he awaits a shot at a world title, Mbilli looks forward to a third fight at the Videotron Center.
“As the Jungle Book says, ‘It doesn’t take much to be happy.’ I have to break a mouth and put on a show,” he laughed.