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Eye of the Tiger and Punching Grace present: A smashing night: Bazinyan faces Macias for NABA and NABF titles.
Jose de Jesus Macias, who has beaten both Francis Lafrenière and Steven Butler, will attempt to extend his winning streak on June 1 at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal, and snatch the NABF and NABA super-middleweight belts from Erik “BZO” Bazinyan in a scheduled 10-rounder. The event, which will be simulcast on Punching Grace, and on ESPN+ in the USA, will also feature Steve Claggett facing off against Julian Rodriguez for the NABA super-lightweight title, and Mary Spencer facing off against Adriana Dos Santos Araujo.
Erik Bazinyan (29-0, 21 KOs) is embarking upon a crucial new chapter in his career; his latest performances, notably those against Marcelo Coceres and Alantez Fox, have allowed him to nab a spot in the top-10 of several federations and brought him that much closer to a world championship fight in the coming months. Currently ranked 3rd in the WBC’s, 2nd in the WBO’s and WBA’s, the EOTTM protégé is well aware of the danger of confronting Macias at this point in his career, but is also confident that the Mexican boxer will not be able to stand in his way.
“Macias fractured Zewski’s jaw and gave Butler and Lafrenière a run for their money. He’s a solid opponent. But I’m younger, I’m faster, I’m technically strong, and I’ll show him my ring smarts when I confront him. I’m going to learn a lot from this fight, and it’ll be one more step toward big American bouts this year.”
Jose de Jesus Macias (28-11-4, 14 KOs), who attended the Mbilli vs Gongora duel at the Casino de Montréal last March 23, couldn’t hold back from trash-talking Bazinyan ringside, declaring “I broke Zewski’s jaw, I sent Butler to the mat, and I’m going to rip off Erik Bazinyan’s head. I’m serious; I’m coming for him and for his rankings!”
Jose de Jesus Macias boasts an impressive record of more than 250 professional fights. In addition to offering some amazing performances against Quebecois boxers, “El Changuito” has also gone the limit against excellent pugilists in his division, such as Erickson Lubin and Souleymane Cissokho. He has been around the block and has enough experience to go the distance with Bazinyan. Marc Ramsay, director of development at EOTTM and Erik’s trainer, thinks Macias will be a tough opponent: “Jose de Jesus Macias is a nightmare for all professional boxers. He has great punching power and impressive stamina. In his last fight, he was a worthy adversary for super prospect Pavel Silyagin. He’ll be an excellent challenge for Erik.”
Since he’s started working with trainer Mike Moffa, Steve “The Dragon” Claggett (34-7-2, 24 KOs) has been dazzling boxing aficionados with his explosive performances and veritable wars against his opponents. The Alberta native will be trying not only for a 6th victory in a row, but also to snatch the NABA super-lightweight belt from American Julian Rodriguez (22-1, 14 KOs) so as to continue his climb in the world rankings.
Having gotten the green light from the specialists for her hand injury, Mary Spencer (7-1, 5 KOs) is now fit to leap back into the ring on June 1 to finally confront Brazil’s Adriana Dos Santos Araujo (6-1, 1 KO) after their March bout had to be postponed. This will be Spencer’s first match following her defeat in December 2022.
The complete #BazinyanMacias event card, which will also feature Thomas Chabot (8-0, 7 KOs), Alexandre Gaumont (7-0, 5 KOs), Wilkens Mathieu (2-0, 1 KO), as well as Mehmet Nadir Unal (3-0, 3 KOs) will be announced shortly. Tickets will be on sale on Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.ca as of Thursday, April 6 at 9:00 am. For more information, follow EOTTM on Facebook and on Instagram @eottm_boxing as well as on Twitter @eottm11 or subscribe to the newsletter #EOTTMARMY by filling out the online form.