{"id":22529,"date":"2025-10-27T07:00:39","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T11:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/punchinggrace.com\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=22529"},"modified":"2025-11-26T21:33:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T02:33:30","slug":"butler-vs-fondjo","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/punchinggrace.com\/en\/events\/butler-vs-fondjo\/","title":{"rendered":"Butler VS.<\/span> Fondjo"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new injury to Erik Bazinyan has forced EOTTM to revise the main event for November 13. However, the main event will remain 100% local, as Montreal\u2019s St\u00e9phane Fondjo<\/strong> will step up to face two-time world title challenger Steven \u201cBang Bang\u201d Butler<\/strong> at the Casino de Montr\u00e9al.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been away from my family for weeks, making sacrifices to prepare for my fight against Erik Bazinyan. If he can\u2019t fight, that\u2019s his problem, but I never back down \u2014 there was no way I wasn\u2019t fighting on November 13. I\u2019m not afraid of anyone, and for once, I\u2019ll be facing an opponent just as hungry as I am. Fans will still get a great local fight, but in the end, I\u2019m going to remind everyone \u2014 including Fondjo \u2014 that I belong on the international level,\u201d said Steven Butler (36-5-1, 30 KOs)<\/strong>, who is finishing the final weeks of his training camp in Connecticut.<\/p>\n

Montrealer St\u00e9phane Fondjo (14-1-1, 9 KOs)<\/strong>, originally from Cameroon, was also already in training camp for a fight scheduled on November 8. Standing over 6\u20193\u201d, he was serving as Shakeel Phinn\u2019s main sparring partner ahead of Phinn\u2019s important fight next Thursday against Wilkens Mathieu. Having previously sparred with Christian Mbilli, Moreno Fendero, and several other Eye of the Tiger fighters, Fondjo sees this bout as an opportunity to prove that he, too, belongs among the elite \u2014 not just in the gym, but in the ring.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo accomplish great things, you sometimes have to suffer. I left my family behind eight years ago to cross the Atlantic and one day give them a better life. Every day since, I\u2019ve made sacrifices to achieve that goal. I respect Steven Butler, but I\u2019ve suffered enough to get here and earn this opportunity. So once we\u2019re in the ring on November 13, it\u2019ll be him who suffers,\u201d promised St\u00e9phane Fondjo<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSteven Butler is a high-level boxer who\u2019s never turned down a challenge. He\u2019s proving that once again, and I respect him for it. Both camps will bring the will to win, but beyond toughness, I believe St\u00e9phane\u2019s youth and superior athleticism will make the difference,\u201d said Butler\u2019s trainer, Ian MacKillop<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Although an intriguing all-local main event remains in place \u2014 and the health of athletes remains EOTTM\u2019s top priority \u2014 the team cannot hide its disappointment over this third cancellation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t hide it: our entire team is extremely disappointed. And we\u2019re even more so for our fans, who have been waiting for this fight for months. Our athletes\u2019 health will always be a priority, but after three consecutive injuries, it\u2019s clear we\u2019ll need to sit down with Erik to evaluate the next steps in his career,\u201d said EOTTM President Camille Estephan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The rest of the strong November 13 card, now headlined by #ButlerFondjo, remains unchanged. In his first career co-main event, Montreal-based Jhon Orobio (15-0, 13 KOs)<\/strong> will make his first defense of his WBC Continental Super Lightweight Title against former world champion Xolisani Ndongeni (33-7, 19 KOs)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

On the undercard, Quebec\u2019s Luis Santana (14-0, 7 KOs)<\/strong> will face Portugal\u2019s Pedro Manuel Gomes (13-3, 3 KOs)<\/strong>, who is coming off a win over Canadian champion Mark Smither. EOTTM\u2019s Prospect of the Year, Moreno Fendero (12-0, 10 KOs)<\/strong>, will fight in his first scheduled 10-round bout against American puncher William Langston (14-4-1, 9 KOs)<\/strong>. Canadian Olympic medalist Wyatt Sanford (4-0, 2 KOs)<\/strong> will meet Czech fighter Petr Novak (3-0-1, 2 KOs)<\/strong> in a clash of undefeated boxers. Rising prospect Erik Israyelyan (2-0, 2 KOs)<\/strong> will continue his development against Chile\u2019s Mario Esparza (2-1)<\/strong>. Finally, Trois-Rivi\u00e8res native Daylen Pepin<\/strong> will make his professional debut in an all-Quebec bout against Alexendre Giraldeau Perron (2-1, 1 KO)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The main event will remain 100% local, as two-time world title challenger Steven \u201cBang Bang\u201d Butler will now face Montreal\u2019s St\u00e9phane Fondjo!","protected":false},"author":2570,"featured_media":23119,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[],"class_list":["post-22529","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"video_Iframe":"","event_script":"

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