Wilkens Mathieu isn’t hiding it: he already feels ready to face the best boxers in the world. That’s the request he made to his promoter after his victory over Shakeel Phinn last October. Camille Estephan delivered by bringing Brazil’s Esquiva Falcao to him at the Capitole de Québec.
Falcao is a legend in Brazil. He ended his country’s 44-year Olympic boxing medal drought. He lost in the final in London to Ryoto Murata after being deducted 2 points, a controversy that still fuels debate today.
Your father probably loves boxing a little too much when he names you Esquiva, which means “slip” or “dodge” in Portuguese. He finished his amateur career with a record of 215 wins in 230 fights.
In 2013, an Olympic medal was worth a few hundred thousand dollars… and a contract with Top Rank under Bob Arum. He was seen as a slick southpaw technician with world champion potential. To build his name, he was placed on Manny Pacquiao undercards. The result: 30 straight wins and a world title fight before becoming a free agent in 2026.
Photo: MMA Fighting – Esquiva Falcao
“He who does not know where he comes from does not know where he is going.” – Otto von Bismarck, statesman
What does Quebec boxing history tell us?
I know the saying goes “things come in threes,” but I’d rather not think about it. This isn’t the first time a 21-year-old boxer has been pushed toward the top by skipping two or three steps at once. David Lemieux got a harsh reality check against Marco Antonio Rubio and Joachim Alcine. Steven Butler had his fight stopped by the referee at the same age against Brandon Cook.
And that’s the whole intrigue behind the Wilkens Mathieu vs. Esquiva Falcao fight: is it too soon? Is Eye of the Tiger Management about to replay a movie it knows all too well?
If boxing didn’t have these kinds of storylines, I’d probably be rewatching Antigang on Radio-Canada instead of living off boxing narratives.
Photo: Vitor Munhoz – Wilkens Mathieu (right)
Inside the ring
His brother Yamaguchi Falcão (25-3-1, 10 KOs) is a bronze medalist from the London Olympics. He’s been seen in the pros against David Morrell and Hebert Conceição. He’s still active.
Falcao is a southpaw, nearly six feet tall, with long reach. He excels at counterpunching and distance management. He is complete and strategic. He won’t rush in recklessly or take unnecessary risks. His ring IQ is high: calm, patient, adaptable.
To beat him, a fighter will need discipline, mobility, and a strong jab to neutralize his southpaw advantage. Against Vincenzo Gualtieri, he was dropped twice, in a division where the German is not known for punching power.
He can also appear passive, sometimes too patient. In important fights, judges don’t always give him the rounds.
He remains a dangerous boxer: well-conditioned and difficult to hit cleanly. Against Mathieu, he’ll need to impose his experience if he wants to slow down youth.
Photo: Vitor Munhoz – Wilkens Mathieu
Wilkens Mathieu has everything to gain and nothing to lose, except perhaps the label of a man in too much of a hurry.
If Quebec boxing has learned anything from its ghosts, it’s that talent alone is not enough at 21 years old.
But if Mathieu is right… Saturday night at the Capitole, we may witness something rare: a boxer skipping steps without burning his wings.
In the podcast
In September 2017, I ran into both Falcao brothers at Ahuntsic metro station in Montreal. I approached them to confirm my instinct. Since I speak neither English nor Portuguese, I couldn’t ask what they were doing there.
I understood after calling Samuel Décarie-Drolet: the two southpaws were Marc Ramsay’s secret weapon in preparing David Lemieux for Billy Joe Saunders.
Esquiva Falcao is the son of former boxer Adegard Câmara Florentino. The father is still in shape: in 2020, at 82 years old, he earned his BJJ black belt and still shows off carved abs on his sons’ social media.
Photo: Globo Esporte – Esquiva Falcao (right)
Falcao owns his own gym, Esquiva Falcao Boxing Gym, in Brazil. He says he’s in the shape of his life since spending his days there.
In the family’s next generation, the name continues to circulate: his nephew, Yuri Falcao, recently stood out on the international amateur scene, notably by defeating Canadian Gabriel Aly. Another Falcao to watch… and a reminder that in this family, boxing is serious business.
