(Quebec) “We judge the quality of a press conference by the quality of the coffee,” columnist Réjean Tremblay joked while pouring himself a cup Thursday morning at the Videotron Center.
The coffee was good. The press conference too.
A week after the Remparts’ victory in front of 18,000 spectators, the ice had disappeared in the amphitheater. In the middle of the arena was a huge banner with the bust of Artur Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs), this Russian who trains in Quebec and who is considered one of the best boxers to deliver to the world.
It is here on August 19 that this triple light heavyweight world champion will put his WBC, WBO and IBF belts on the line against Briton Callum Smith (29-1, 21 KOs), his mandatory challenger . Smith suffered his only defeat, by decision, at the hands of Canelo Álvarez.
The organizers of the evening are betting on a well-stocked undercard to attract crowds and breathe new life into a sport that seems to have run out of steam lately in Quebec.
“For those who doubt that Quebec boxing is healthy, those who doubt that we can do this type of event at home… we are proof that we are capable”, rejoiced the president of Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTM), the indefatigable Camille Estephan.
Reviving Quebec boxing is quite a mission. But already Estephan has won his bet by attracting this important fight to Quebec.
“Any city like Las Vegas or New York would have loved to have this event,” said Martin Tremblay, Chief Operating Officer of Quebecor’s Sports and Entertainment Group.
Beterbiev’s promoter, American Top Rank, won the auction to pitch the fight in front of the contender’s promoter, Matchroom. The latter would have liked to present the evening in England.
Estephan therefore managed to convince Top Rank to bet on Quebec for this gala which will be broadcast by ESPN. “I think the depth of our team was the big thing. They know the undercard will be quality,” says Estephan.
Estephan’s bet is simple: arouse the enthusiasm of the public, attract fans and highlight several Quebec boxers like Christian Mbilli (24-0, 20 K.-O.) or Simon Kean (23-1, 22 K .-O.), both of whom will fight on August 19.
But Estephan is under no illusions. It is targeting 5,000 spectators. “We could announce that we are full if we reach that number,” he said.
Remember that Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins had attracted more than 16,000 fans to the old Colosseum in December 2010. They were 9,500 who came to the Videotron Center to see Lucian Bute against James DeGale in November 2015, and 7,800 in February 2017 for Lucian Stumbles against Eleider Álvarez.
It must be said that the quality of Beterbiev’s French is inversely proportional to his talent as a boxer. And everyone agrees that Beterbiev is an extremely talented boxer.
“He’s by far the greatest boxer we’ve had here,” said former pugilist and general manager of EOTM, Antonin Décarie. “He’s a unified world champion, with a perfect record and a knockout streak. The boxing world is afraid of him. »
According to him, Beterbiev is aging, he is starting to show flaws. The August 19 fight shouldn’t be settled in one or two rounds. “It’s going to be a tough fight, he’ll have to tap into his reserves. »
The organizers also announce boxers from the Capital: Clovis Drolet (13-1, 9 K.-O.), Leila Beaudoin (9-1, 1 K.-O.) and Wilkens Mathieu (2-0, 1 K. -O.).
“People who always have excuses not to come to fights, there you have no excuse,” Wilkens Mathieu said. “It’s one of the best galas we’ve had in Quebec. This is the gala that will revive boxing in Quebec. »
Vast program, would be tempted to answer Charles de Gaulle. Listening to the promoters and boxers Thursday at the Videotron Center, one would almost think that it was Quebec boxing itself that was going to defend its title in the ring.
Nevertheless, those who have predicted over time the death of boxing in Quebec have all been wrong. It is not impossible that the birds of doom are wrong again.
