Wilkens Mathieu (15-0, 10 KOs) will return in front of his hometown fans for his first main event in Quebec City, where he will attempt to take his career to the next level this Thursday against Brazilian Olympic medalist Esquiva Falcao (32-2, 21 KOs).
It will be the first defense of the Quebec pride’s NABF super middleweight title. Mathieu is already ranked 10th in the world by the WBC and 15th by the WBA.
At just 21 years old, he is by far the youngest contender in the world top 10 of his division — and that’s not all…
Photo: EOTTM – Wilkens Mathieu (right)
A crowd already won over
One thing that must first be highlighted is that, in his first event as a headliner, Wilkens Mathieu is expected to fight in front of a crowd of just over 1,000 people.
It may seem insignificant, but in recent years, with the rise in popularity of the Montreal Casino and Casino Lac-Leamy, it has become relatively rare in Quebec.
In fact, since the pandemic began in 2020, only a handful of boxers have managed such a feat, including Artur Beterbiev, Jean Pascal, Christian Mbilli, Arslanbek Makhmudov, and Kim Clavel… They were all established fighters, most of them former, current, or future world champions. All of those fighters were approaching their thirties, or already well into them.
None of them were even competing professionally at the age — 21 years and 5 months — at which Wilkens Mathieu will step into the ring this Thursday.
That doesn’t mean he’ll fill the Olympic Stadium in five years, but at the very least, it’s extremely promising…
Photo: EOTTM – Wilkens Mathieu
And the fight?
But getting back to the main event itself, the intrigue surrounding the matchup is also what makes it so appealing.
People talk about Wilkens Mathieu being only 21 years old, but many believe he is moving too fast by facing Esquiva Falcao, an Olympic medalist whose only losses came against a world champion and an Olympic champion…
“Wilkens Mathieu has everything to gain and nothing to lose — except perhaps the label of being a man in a hurry,” said Laurent Poulin of Boxingtown Quebec.
Poulin compared the Mathieu-Falcao fight to the Lemieux-Rubio and Butler-Cook matchups, where the lack of experience ultimately hurt the Quebec fighters.
“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… Thursday night at the Capitole, we could witness something rare: a boxer skipping steps without burning his wings,” added the host of the podcast Laurent s’écoute parler.
Photo: Jeff Lockhart – Wilkens Mathieu vs Shakeel Phinn
Quebec vs Colombia
The stakes will also be enormous in the co-main event — or rather, the second main event — which will pit Quebec’s Leïla Beaudoin (14-2, 2 KOs) against Colombia’s Paulina Angel (7-2-2, 3 KOs) for the interim WBA super featherweight world title.
Some were surprised to see Angel fighting for a world title. Her record is not particularly impressive… and she is coming off a loss… but appearances can be deceiving!
“She has real punching power, which notably surprised WBA lightweight champion Stephanie Han in 2025, when she scored a first-round knockdown,” explained women’s boxing expert Marie-Eve Albert from the podcast 120 Secondes.
Back in her natural weight class, where she remains undefeated, is the Latin American champion, and ranked 6th in the world, Angel should not be underestimated.
“As an amateur, Paulina was a good boxer. She is also a good professional boxer, but unlike Leïla, she doesn’t have as strong a team around her. Her record could have been better if she had the same level of promoter, and while she has good coaches, they don’t have the same resources as in Canada. That could play in Leïla’s favor, but it’s still a very good fight. Quebec versus Colombia can only produce a great fight,” Montreal’s favorite Colombian, Jhon Orobio, told me, as he knows both fighters well.
Photo: Fightmag – Stephanie Han vs Paulina Angel
“A dangerous guy”
Also in action: world top-10 light heavyweight contender Mehmet Unal (15-0, 13 KOs) will defend his WBC and WBA continental titles against former kickboxing champion Yoann Kongolo (18-3-1, 7 KOs).
Kickboxing fans will remember Kongolo’s career, as he fought for Glory — the sport’s biggest organization — for many years, notably defeating popular French fighter Cédric Doumbé and facing legend Nicky Holzken.
In boxing, his résumé is smaller, but in 22 fights, Kongolo has always shown durability and toughness. He’s a tough guy… and against Mehmet Unal, that is probably the most important quality.
“I’ve sparred with all the guys in the gym and honestly, the only one I wouldn’t fight is Mehmet,” Moreno Fendero once told me, saying that Unal not only punched “very hard,” but also threw “weird punches” when you least expected them…
Photo: Vincent Ethier – Mehmet Unal
And the soldier…
Meanwhile, Moreno Fendero (14-0, 10 KOs) will also be in action, defending his WBC continental super middleweight title against Olympian Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (21-1-1, 17 KOs).
Despite his reputation as a heavy puncher, Fendero’s last two fights went the full 10-round distance… But here is what Punching Grace columnist Nathan Décarie had to say about it.
“Moreno is known for his punching power and he has accustomed Montreal fans to spectacular knockouts in the past. However, his last two opponents made him work much harder. But that happens in boxing, and it’s an opportunity to improve and learn. If he and Marc Ramsay made the proper adjustments to their game plan, the Frenchman can become a major threat in the super middleweight division.”
Facing a boxer who was knocked out in the first round by Edgar Berlanga, one could indeed think Moreno could “be a major threat.”
But the opposite is also true, to quote Laurent Poulin’s proverb: “You don’t score 17 knockouts in 23 fights by slapping people around.”
Photo: Vitor Munhoz – Moreno Fendero (left)
Even though he believes Gonzalez-Ortiz has lost some of his “shine” since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the columnist still notes that the Puerto Rican will be the first true puncher Fendero has faced.
In short, the only real surprise would be if there isn’t a knockout…
Go ask Roy…
Finally, in what will be the fifth championship fight of the evening, the ghost of Thetford Mines, Thomas Chabot (12-1, 8 KOs), will face the pride of Querétaro, Jose Antonio Sampedro (13-2-1, 7 KOs), in a clash between prospects looking to become contenders by capturing the vacant WBC continental featherweight title (126 lbs).
If you want to know whether Sampedro is a legitimate challenge for Chabot, ask Roy Jones Jr. In his last fight, the Mexican boxer surprised the protégé of the legendary boxer-turned-trainer-and-promoter by fighting undefeated Dominique Roundtree (10-0-1, 6 KOs) to a draw in Washington.
And even though the American judges scored it a draw, many fans in the United States believed the Mexican deserved the win…
Will history repeat itself in Quebec City?
To find out: head over to Punching Grace, where prospects Erik Israyelyan (5-0, 3 KOs) and Daylen Pepin (2-0) will also be featured on the card to kick off the seven-fight, five-championship event starting at 6:30 p.m.! And to jump directly into the action, place your bets and download Mise-o-jeu+ now!
Photo: Vitor Munhoz – Erik Israyelyan
