I remember my many discussions with Régis Lévesque at the Beaubien deli.
Between bites of smoked meat, the colorful promoter taught me the art of promoting. He often repeated the following saying:
“If a boxer comes and beats one of your protégés, bring him back as long as he keeps winning. The story will tell itself: an angry promoter wants his revenge.”
That’s who I thought of this morning when I learned that EOTTM was bringing back Swiss boxer Ramadan Hiseni for a third time to face Steven Butler.
“Hiseni represents a big risk—I know that better than anyone. For me and EOTTM, it’s a revenge fight, but for Steven, it’s his chance to prove he’s a serious contender in the super-middleweight division,” Estephan said.
Photo: Bernard Brault – Ramadan Hiseni
Ramadan Hiseni: The Boxer from Zurich
Will the time for revenge finally come for EOTTM? The Zurich-based boxer came here to fight Shamil Khataev to a draw (a bout he deserved to win), before adding insult to injury by decisively defeating Alexandre Gaumont on his home turf in Gatineau.
Ramadan Hiseni doesn’t hide it: he would like to secure a contract with Eye of the Tiger Management. He serves as a sparring partner for Osleys Iglesias, and he’s still healthy, an achievement in itself.
“Just like against Khataev and Gaumont, my mindset is the same: veni, vidi, vici. I expect the outcome to be the same as well. To boxing fans around the world, I promise a high-level fight and, above all, I promise victory on March 5,” said Hiseni, who already has four fights in the super-middleweight division.
Photo: Bernard Brault – Ramadan Hiseni vs Alexandre Gaumont
Author’s Editorial Comment
I love the choice of opponent for Steven Butler. Hiseni checks several boxes: already familiar to Quebec boxing fans, he also allows for a direct comparison between Gaumont and Butler ahead of, who knows, a potential matchup. A decisive victory would put Butler back into the world rankings.
Ramadan Hiseni fits perfectly into this lineage of spoilers. He’s not here to make up the numbers or pad someone’s record. He’s here to win, again, and to force EOTTM to settle a score that has been lingering for far too long. For Steven Butler, it’s a no-safety-net test, but also a golden opportunity: beating a man no one has managed to silence here.
I dug into my memory to recall a few boxers who came to Quebec to play the role of spoiler time and time again.
Photo: Rappeler – Ricky Sismundo
Ricky Sismundo: Chocolate Hills’ Mondo Harada
I still wonder where Stéphane Loyer managed to dig that one up. I was at the Métropolis in May 2016 when all of our Quebec fighters were cruising, without much trouble, toward victory. Then little Sismundo showed up. I couldn’t believe it. He sent the world-ranked contender of the time to the canvas twice in the fourth round and also shut Dierry Jean’s left eye midway through the fight. The judges were heckled after handing down a draw.
Five months later, he defeated Ghislain Maduma without much difficulty at the Casino de Montréal. The Filipino fighter was 29 years old at the time and could boast of having dropped Dierry Jean twice and Ghislain Maduma once, on their home turf in Montreal.
Yves Ulysse took care of the problem for EOTTM the following year, delivering a flawless performance.
Photo: Facebook – José de Jesús Macias vs Steven Butler
José de Jesús Macias: El Changuito
Another bundle of trouble, but a different story. His first appearance ended in a loss to Mikael Zewski. An urban legend, later debunked, claimed that he had broken the jaw of the fighter from Trois-Rivières. Later that same year, in 2018, he returned to defeat Francis Lafrenière on the judges’ scorecards, before waiting three years to deliver a brutal knockout to Steven Butler.
More recently, he was beaten by Erik Bazinyan, and Butler got his revenge.
California Heavyweights: Avery Gibson
Vincent Morin, in his role as matchmaker, always used to tell me:
“If I have an ambitious heavyweight I want to keep busy, I make a call to California.”
Gibson was no ordinary opponent. He had been seen in the World Series of Boxing, where he held his own against Prince Charles Martin, Joe Joyce, and Junior Fa. Once he turned pro, he was brought to Canada for the first time to face Bogdan Dinu. He suffered a loss, but came back to defeat Didier Bence, then fought Eric Martel Bahoeli to a draw.
A true brute, who has suffered only one loss by knockout, at the hands of Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Photo: Facebook – Avery Gibson vs Didier Bence
On the Podcast
I don’t dislike the idea at all of matching Isaac Chilemba against Lenar Perez. For the Cuban’s Montreal debut, you get an opponent known to the general public, someone who went the distance with Osleys Iglesias. It also allows fans in the metropolis to see a familiar face again.
Jordan Mathieu is working hard to get rounds for Jhon Orobio. His opponent, Yomar Alamo, went the distance with Liam Paro, Jamaine Ortiz, and Breyon Gorham. He’ll certainly have a few tricks up his sleeve to stretch the fight deep into the rounds next March.
We also seem to be getting closer to an announcement for a potential fight between Arslanbek Makhmudov and Tyson Fury. Has our Lion just punched the winning ticket to become a millionaire, and maybe even shock the Gypsy King by beating him? Tyson is getting older, isn’t always in top shape… I like to believe in our chances.
