It was quite an evening for sports fans. One thing’s for sure: no one could say there wasn’t anything to sink their teeth into on Thursday. Whether it was Eye of The Tiger’s boxing gala, Jacob Fowler’s first NHL start, or the NFL’s Thursday Night Football, there was certainly no shortage of choices.
But for boxing enthusiasts, all eyes were on Buckingham’s pride at the Lac Leamy Casino. The EOTTM fight card was explosive from start to finish. The action delivered across all seven bouts.
For several fighters, their performances opened the door to new challenges and new opportunities. For others, it will be time to go back to the drawing board and rethink their strategy.
Doors Opening
Right from the second fight of the night, Victor Tremblay won his match against Wade Hodgson. A multiple-time Canadian amateur champion, he had only one thing on his mind. When we spoke to him before the fight, he promised we’d see something spectacular. Boxers often have a bad habit of making big promises. In this case, the opposite happened — he delivered.
Photo: Jeff Lockhart – Victor Tremblay
From the first round, the Boisbriand native landed an uppercut followed by a devastating right hand that dropped his opponent. According to Laurent Poulin, the phone should be ringing in the coming days for Team Tremblay.
And according to him, Eye of the Tiger aren’t the only ones keeping an eye on him.
Next, former WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse returned to action. She hadn’t stepped into the ring in over a year. And for those who remember her last outing against Claressa Shields, it’s a memory best left behind.
But all that is in the past. Vanessa made her comeback against Sonya Dreiling, this time at 168 pounds. And we must admit she delivered a fantastic performance, sending her opponent to the canvas twice and winning by unanimous decision. Even though the fight was one-sided, both boxers put on quite a show, and Samuel Décarie-Drolet seemed to love it on the Punching Grace broadcast.
Photo: Jeff Lockhart – Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse
In a sport largely dominated by men, the women’s divisions are much less crowded. A new door is opening for Vany.
Will she manage to win a world title in a second weight class?
In the co-main event, the highly anticipated return of Imam Khataev was brief and violent. He faced Adam Deines, a boxer who had held his own against Fanlong Meng, Artur Beterbiev, and Albert Ramirez. He even went 10 rounds with the fearsome Beterbiev.
It was a golden opportunity for Khataev to prove that his last fight against David Morrell wasn’t a fluke and that he truly belongs among the world’s elite. For those who don’t remember, Imam lost a very close decision to Morrell earlier this year. Many even believed the EOTTM prospect had done enough to win.
Photo: Bernard Brault – Imam Khataev
Khataev made his statement by stopping Deines in the third round. It’s almost certain that many light heavyweight contenders were watching closely. This fight served as a statement to the entire boxing world. Many options now lie ahead for him.
The year 2026 is set to be a big one for the Russian boxer.
Doors Closing
On a less positive note, some fighters saw doors closing.
First, in the co-main event, Adam Deines saw his career take a serious hit. As mentioned earlier, this wasn’t his first dance with the world’s elite. The problem is that he has never been able to win those fights.
With the NABF title on the line, it was something of a last chance for Deines. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t able to get the job done. It’s hard to blame him — Imam Khataev is a formidable opponent — but the loss still hurts.
Photo: Bernard Brault – Ramadan Hiseni and Alexandre Gaumont
And in the highly anticipated main event…
Alexandre Gaumont fell to the tough Ramadan Hiseni — a fighter known for fighting to a draw against Shamil Khataev. Gaumont had promised a knockout victory. When we say boxers often promise too much before a fight, this is a perfect example.
“King Cogne,” who works in construction alongside his boxing career, hoped that a win over Hiseni would propel him to the next level. This loss does not mean the end for Alexandre Gaumont, but he will have to wait before getting another opportunity of this magnitude.
Unless a rematch comes soon?
