It was a successful night for several Tigers on October 8 in Quebec City. Some learned the hard way, while others had a quick night at the office. The latter was certainly the case for Wilkens Mathieu and Imam Khataev.
On one side, the Russian war machine needed less than two minutes in the ring to force his opponent to quit in the very first round.
On the other, Quebec’s young prospect fought a hard-fought battle against veteran Vladimir Shishkin, ultimately winning by split decision.
The two fights took radically different turns, but in both cases, the year ahead looks promising.
Photo: Global Boxing News – Wilkens Mathieu vs Vladimir Shishkin
Imam Khataev
“The Destroyer” probably didn’t give his new trainer, Marc Ramsay, too many reasons to pull his hair out with a performance like this.
We already knew Imam Khataev possessed extraordinary punching power, and he proved it once again last Thursday.
His opponent only had to experience it once to decide he wanted no more of it.
More than a year has now passed since Imam’s highly controversial defeat to David Morrell in New York, and the two fighters’ careers have since taken completely different paths.
Marc Ramsay’s protégé has stopped his last three opponents in record time, with his longest outing lasting just three rounds.
Morrell, meanwhile, suffered a TKO loss to Zak Chelli in his only fight since July 2025.
So the question is: did Imam break the Cuban fighter?
Photo: Boxing News – Imam Khataev vs Padraig McCrory
It’s possible. Morrell did manage to earn a split-decision victory, but it was far from an easy night for him.
At this stage of their careers, a rematch seems even more justified than it did immediately after their first encounter.
For Khataev, it would be an opportunity to prove that he truly deserved the victory in New York last year.
For Morrell, it would be a chance to prove that he really has what it takes to compete at 175 lbs and silence his critics.
But there are certainly other options if the two sides cannot reach an agreement for that fight.
I’ve seen plenty of requests on social media for a rematch of their semifinal at the Tokyo Olympics, and honestly, it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Photo: DAZN – Ben Whittaker vs Conor Wallace
Ben Whittaker’s career is at a comparable stage to Imam’s, with both fighters ranked among the WBC’s top five.
Given their history, the fight would generate worldwide interest, and we could expect an absolute war.
Furthermore, Whittaker holds the WBC Silver belt, which would put the winner in a favorable position to become the next contender for a world title shot.
The Zak Chelli option is also very intriguing.
Khataev lost to Morrell, albeit in a fight where the decision sparked mixed reactions, and Chelli has just knocked Morrell out.
It would be a great opportunity for both fighters to put the doubts surrounding them to rest and strengthen their respective cases with a victory.
Photo: Boxing News – David Morrell vs Zak Chelli
Wilkens Mathieu
The young Quebec fighter, meanwhile, had a completely different kind of outing, earning a hard-fought victory against a formidable opponent.
That doesn’t necessarily mean anything negative.
It’s a fight in which he learned a tremendous amount, and that experience will be extremely valuable for the rest of his career.
We shouldn’t forget that Shishkin is a very high-quality opponent.
Quebec boxing fans may have had a skewed perception of him because of the beating Osleys Iglesias handed him just over a year ago, but that wasn’t necessarily a reliable indicator of his abilities.
At just 21 years old, Wilkens Mathieu is now in a very favorable position for someone so young.
Photo: Facebook – Wilkens Mathieu vs Vladimir Shishkin
It’s difficult to know who he’ll face in his next fight, but based on his recent trajectory, continued progression seems inevitable.
Names such as William Scull, Luka Plantic, and Kevin Lele Sadjo would make a lot of sense, in my opinion.
They’re all experienced opponents with strong rankings who have suffered a defeat recently.
Scull lost to Canelo Alvarez and Jacob Bank, Plantic to Lester Martinez, and Sadjo to Diego Pacheco.
That doesn’t mean they’re nearing the end of the road simply because they’ve lost—far from it. However, they still have something to prove to show they deserve their place among the best.
It’s not uncommon for a veteran to give a young prospect an opportunity to make a name for himself after a defeat.
That’s essentially what happened with Shishkin, too.
And a victory against any one of these three opponents would represent another step toward a world title.
Photo: Boxing News – William Scull vs Canelo Alvarez
