The long-awaited clash between Osleys Iglesias and Pavel Silyagin is finally coming to Montreal. For some, it could become the biggest fight ever held at the Casino de Montréal. A world championship bout in one of boxing’s most coveted divisions right now: super middleweight.
The card will also feature several fighters competing in important matchups. Here’s what fans should keep an eye on throughout the evening.
Keven Beausejour (2-0, 2 KOs)
Keven Beausejour will be tasked with opening the card.
In his last outing, he scored a second-round TKO victory that earned him a contract with the Montreal-based promotion Eye of the Tiger Management, who have made it clear that their ambitions for the local fighter are very high.
Expect him to kick off the night with an impressive performance.
Beausejour has an electrifying style and clearly knows how to put on a show. Don’t be surprised if he moves up the ranks quickly.
Photo: Vitor Munhoz – Keven Beausejour vs Petr Strnad
Alexandre Gaumont (13-1, 9 KOs) vs Luka Lozo (16-4-2, 15 KOs)
“King Cogne” will return to the ring for the first time since his surprising loss to Ramadan Hiseni. In a fight that could have made a major difference in Gaumont’s career, he came up short despite showing impressive resilience.
His opponent, Luka Lozo, does not hold any victories over top-level opposition. That said, he has a habit of finishing fights by knockout.
Gaumont will therefore need to stay sharp if he wants to prove that his last fight was simply a bump in the road.
And if he wants to take his career to the next level, we can expect something spectacular from him.
My prediction: Alexandre Gaumont wins by KO in the second half of the fight.
Photo: Vitor Munhoz – Ramadan Hiseni vs Alexandre Gaumont
Leïla Beaudoin (13-2, 2 KOs) vs Victoria Noelia Bustos (26-9-1, 0 KOs)
The pride of Témiscouata, Leïla Beaudoin, returns to the ring after going twelve three-minute rounds with Alycia Baumgardner on Netflix in December.
In that fight, watched by millions of viewers around the world, the Quebec fighter proved she belongs among the elite of women’s boxing. She may not have come away with the victory, but she accomplished something many fighters never imagined they could come close to doing.
She and her trainer, Samuel Décarie, will now have to go back to the drawing board to fine-tune a few details and bring Beaudoin back into championship contention.
In her next fight, she will face an experienced opponent. Bustos has shared the ring with fighters such as Chantelle Cameron, Cecilia Braekhus, and Katie Taylor. She even managed to win a few rounds in those bouts.
Beaudoin therefore has a great opportunity to show she can perform even better than those fighters.
Who knows? Another major opportunity could be on the horizon if she defeats the Argentine veteran.
My prediction: Leïla Beaudoin wins by unanimous decision.
Photo: Facebook – Alycia Baumgardner vs Leila Beaudoin
Luis Santana (15-0, 7 KOs) vs Chann Thonson (18-1, 15 KOs)
In an all-Quebec showdown, Luis Santana will face what is very likely the toughest test of his career so far.
In his last fight, although Santana secured the victory, he showed a few weaknesses in his game plan.
But that’s part of boxing—some nights are more difficult than others. What matters is avoiding the same mistakes.
Against Thonson, who has only one loss on his record, Santana will need to show the improvements he has made in training. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be impossible to see Thonson pull off the upset.
My prediction: Luis Santana wins by split decision.
Photo: Vitor Munhoz – Luis Santana vs Pedro Manuel Gomes
Arthur Biyarslanov (20-0, 16 KOs) vs Jimerr Espinosa (17-2-1, 16 KOs)
People have been talking about a “step-up fight” for Arthur Biyarslanov for quite some time now.
Espinosa may not be an international star, but he still holds a very respectable record with only two losses, both coming by split decision. One of those defeats came at the hands of Delante Johnson.
Biyarslanov is now positioning himself for a major fight in the near future. With victories over Mohamed Mimoune and Sergey Lipinets, another win—especially by knockout—could push his career to the next level.
In fact, during Keyshawn Davis’ last fight, we learned that Biyarslanov was among the potential opponents being considered.
The fact that his name is being mentioned alongside a fighter like Davis says a lot about his growing international recognition.
My prediction: Arthur Biyarslanov wins by unanimous decision.
Photo: Fightmag – Arthur Biyarslanov vs Mohamed Mimoune
