Photo: Vincent Ethier / EOTTM – Erik Bazinyan (32-1-1, 23 KOs) and Steven Butler (35-5-1, 24 KOs)…
I was amazed by the number of journalists present at the inaugural press conference for the fight between Erik Bazinyan and Steven Butler on March 14. No kidding, even Jeremy Filosa made a return to his roots for the occasion.
And then I thought of Régis Lévesque, who would’ve loved to be there too.
Facing off were two Quebecers. Two Eye of the Tiger boxers. If you’re paying attention, Butler even mentioned that he was the one who brought Bazinyan into EOTTM. Two old friends, indeed.
But it’s not just two local fighters. Butler has fought for a world championship twice, and Bazinyan, who recently fought Munguia, is still in the world’s top 10 rankings.
There’s a lot more on the line, thought.
Photo: Vincent Ethier / EOTTM
‘Bang Bang’ has been knocked out five times in his career, and ‘Bzo’ hasn’t won a fight in over a year. That’s partly why they’re facing each other—both have their backs against the wall. So, let’s hope it’s a close match, and maybe we’ll get a trilogy. Otherwise, some tough questions will need to be asked in the loser’s corner.
Friends, locals, turned rivals, with talent, but perhaps with their careers on the line…
It’s as if Camille Estephan, with all the right ingredients in hand, has inherited Régis’ pot. All that’s left is to mix it up on March 14.
While waiting for this new recipe, I took a trip down memory lane to imagine what it might look like. Out of respect for my godfather Réjean Tremblay—still young—I didn’t want to go too far back to be understood…
Anyway, just starting from the 1990s, we’ve been spoiled. Read carefully.
November 27, 1998: Davey Hilton TKO 12 over Stéphane Ouellet
In my memory, this was a time when the Poet had a ranking that could have led him to face the Frenchman Laurent Boudouani for a mandatory challenger position and an eventual world championship fight. He risked everything against Davey Hilton, an older, less technical boxer, but with ridiculously high punching power.
As in any good trilogy, the first fight ended in controversy. With just a few seconds left, Ouellet spit out his mouthguard, then stopped defending himself, leaving referee Denis Langlois no choice but to stop the fight. I was so angry and sad that I was crying out of frustration in front of my school friends.
At that time, I had to convince my friends to order the events with me. I was 16 years old, PPVs were expensive, and my budget was non-existent. We’d gather eight or nine friends, each paying $7, and pack Nicolas L’Espérance’s basement for another fight night.
Photos: InterBox
May 28, 1999: Davey Hilton TKO 3 over Stéphane Ouellet
For the record, the Poet, caught in his demons and anxiety, didn’t prepare at all for this fight. A sad performance to watch.
July 8, 2000: Stéphane Ouellet UD 10 over Davey Hilton
This trilogy is so perfect for a storyteller like me. Before walking to the ring, Davey Hilton had his fight purse seized by bailiffs. What followed was a masterpiece painted by Stéphane Ouellet, who still holds the most beautiful jab Quebec boxing has ever seen.
January 18, 2014: Jean Pascal UD 12 vs. Lucian Bute
It took six years to organize this inevitable fight. The weeks leading up to it were probably the best of my life: public debates, omnipresent media visibility, social media divided between Pro-Pascal and Pro-Bute camps. Even Stéphan Larouche and Marc Ramsay got petty for the occasion.
“I’m going to shut him up. On January 18, it’ll be destruction.” – Lucian Bute
“Jean Pascal is a four-round boxer.” – Stéphan Larouche
“Jean Pascal is a better athlete than Lucian Bute.” – Marc Ramsay
“Let them come and tell me to my face to shut up!” – Jean Pascal
Photo: InterBox
Everything was perfect… except the fight. Jean Pascal won too easily. In fact, he had canceled his rematch with Chad Dawson to give Quebec what it had been demanding for six years. Strangely, this allowed Adonis Stevenson to face Bad Chad… and the rest is history.
Renan St-Juste holds the record for the most local fights since 2000, with six matchups: David Goulet, Sylvain Hovington, Claudio Ortiz, Jacques Lemaire, Walid Smichet, and Sébastien Demers.
A quick anecdote: after defeating Walid Smichet in the first round, Renan was furious about not facing Sébastien Demers. At the time, relations between GYM and InterBox were tense. Renan eventually joined InterBox, and we got our sweet revenge: he obliterated Demers in the second round.
In the Podcast
Photos: Vincent Ethier / EOTTM
