When the inevitable question arises, Camille Estephan takes a deep breath. Then weigh your words. “It hurts boxing, similar actions. »
“It’s bullying, it’s unacceptable,” adds the promoter of Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM).
Estephan talks in particular about the remarks that his main competitor, Yvon Michel, made towards judge Benoît Roussel and the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ) after the defeat of Kim Clavel by split decision, last Saturday .
But Estephan also, and above all, refers to the revelations of journalist Martin Leclerc, from Radio-Canada Sports, that the promoter of GYM had burst into the RACJ locker room that evening, verbally attacking the responsible for the officials, Sylvie L’Écuyer, and to the referee Albert Padulo fils, whom he confused with judge Roussel.
Yvon Michel has since denied having acted in this way in the media, but has only qualified his comments about Judge Roussel.
It doesn’t matter, according to Estephan. The damage has been done.
“I didn’t see the fight,” he said, wanting to be transparent. I saw the highlights. I saw the interviews that were done afterwards. The job of a judge is not easy. […] That doesn’t mean that an individual can’t have a bad evening. But I’m not here to judge Benoît Roussel’s work. I respect him enormously. I see his accomplishments. »
He deplores that the image of professional boxing has taken a hit since Saturday. It “does something” to him to hear people talk about the sport he’s “passionate about” as a “circus”.
Estephan’s response is long and thoughtful. And it’s not finished.
“That really makes me happy. I would like to say that in my opinion, the Régie in Quebec is doing an excellent job. There is no doubt. They are there for the right reasons. »
“It’s very, very well managed,” he continues. On the part of professional boxing, I want us to apologize to these people. »
Camille Estephan confirms that as the organizer of an event like this, “you can give your opinion” regarding the choice of judges. “There’s always a say in that, but it’s the Commission that ultimately decides. »
For Marc Ramsay, situations like those experienced by the Yvon Michel Group on Saturday, “it’s a bit part of the business”.
“The fight itself was a very close fight,” said the coach. I watched it myself. We are in a judged sport. We see this in figure skating. We see this in many other sports. We are at the mercy of that. »
He too had to accept decisions with which he did not agree. “Sometimes, I even had decisions [on my side] that I didn’t think I would have. »
At RDS, Yvon Michel explained that he saw Benoît Roussel “as the pivotal judge” among the three officials; the other two were Americans.
Ramsay is more of the opinion that it is generally the neutral judge who tips the scales. He gives the example of Artur Beterbiev’s fight against Englishman Callum Smith next January. It provides that a Quebec judge and a judge from the United Kingdom will officiate this fight. But it is the selection of the third individual that he will examine more precisely.
“When it comes to neutral judges, I like having a list. We can choose from there, we look at the judges’ tendencies, see if they go more for the technicians or the guys who are a little rougher. You can have a selection, but with our own management, it’s rarer. »
These interviews with EOTTM members took place as part of the official weigh-in for Wednesday’s gala, featuring Mary Spencer in the final, in a world championship rematch against Belgium’s Femke Hermans.
Is Spencer’s trainer, Samuel Décarie-Drolet, satisfied with the choice of those who will decide the fate of his protégé for this clash?
“To be honest with you, I didn’t even look at the judges’ choice,” he says.
“It’s going to be up to us to leave no doubt in the minds of the judges, by giving the best possible performance. »