Boxing
Quebec Warrior Thomas Chabot Looks to Steal the Show in Quebec City
A boxing event featuring fighters from all over the world will take place in Quebec City on Saturday, with boxers coming from as far away as Germany, Argentina and the United States to showcase their talents at the Centre Videotron. One fighter, who lives within driving distance, is aiming to steal the show.
Thomas Chabot, a featherweight from Thetford Mines, Quebec, 90 minutes away, may be in the early main event against Christian Mbilli and Sergiy Derevyanchenko, but the 24-year-old left-hander has a style that is sure to impress.
Chabot (10-0, 8 KOs) will face Matias Ezequiel Guenemil (10-3-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-round fight that will be shown during the ESPN+ portion of the broadcast. Chabot is familiar with his Argentine opponent, having seen him fight his Avery stablemate Martin Duval two years ago, who is also signed to Eye of the Tiger Management.
“I’ll be coming to Quebec to steal the show for sure. I expect [Guenemil] come and start a war in the ring,” Chabot said. “My opponent fought Duval and it was a close decision, so I expect a tough fight.”
Although Chabot likes to fight, he has the pedigree of a boxer.
Photo by Vincent Ethier/EOTTM©2020
Chabot competed 88 times as an amateur, losing only 14 times and winning four Canadian championships. He also represented Canada internationally at the 2017 Youth Commonwealth Games in the Bahamas.
He began boxing at age 11, when, while playing hockey as a teenager, the country’s national sport, he realized he would be better suited to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a boxer.
“Then I thought I was a loner, more interested in individual sports, so I started boxing. It suited me better, given my personality,” said the French-speaking Chabot, who shares his last name with the Ottawa Senators defender.
Thetford Mines, with a population of about 26,000, was best known as the “Asbestos Capital of the World” before health concerns led to a ban on the mineral in home insulation. It was never known for having a plethora of sparring partners. Chabot had to spar with adult men as a teenager, and by the time he was 16 or 17, he had outgrown the local scene. He moved to Montreal with his mother to pursue his boxing career.
Growing up, his favorite boxers were fellow Quebec brawler Arturo Gatti and Lucian Bute, the Romanian-Canadian lefty who had a string of memorable fights in Montreal and Quebec City in the early part of this century. He also had a cushioned spot for Manny Pacquiao, who was always eager to trade blows face-to-face.
Those fighters helped him become the blood-and-guts fighter he is today, though he admits he’s still working on making the transition from the swing-and-go of amateur boxing to the measured pace of professional boxing.
“I’ve always been an offensive fighter, always attacking. The hardest thing for me was having to be more patient and pick my punches, instead of just throwing and throwing, I had to reduce the number of punches and just focus on the quality of them,” said Chabot, who is trained by Lazlo Marien and François Duguay in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, just north of the U.S. border.
(RELATED: Quebec boxing enters another golden era)
His fights have been full of drama so far, which is great for boxing fans but can be a concern for his supporters. Chabot has been on the boards at least three times early in his career, including in his second pro fight in February 2020 against Luz Marcos Garcia, who knocked Chabot down but was stopped within the first 84 seconds of the fight. Chabot also touched the boards twice in his December 2022 fight with Jonathan Baranda, only to get back up and earn a point for a close but unanimous decision.
Chabot’s last fight came in May, when he knocked out 6-1-1 Alfredo Jimenez Espino in five rounds.
He may be known as “The Ghost,” but Chabot has not been undetectable to his opponents thus far. Still, he has shown flashes of technical ability, like in the second round when he stopped Maximino Toala in 2022, using footwork and jabs to maintain space for punches and prevent Toala from tying up while injured, which led to the stoppage.
Chabot’s other strengths include a deadly body attack, which he used to stop Armando Ramirez in two rounds during their September 2022 fight, and a pace that few can match.
Promoter Camille Estephan of Eye of the Tiger Management says the hope is that Chabot, who turned professional shortly after his 20th birthday in 2020, will continue to mature physically as he enters his mid-25s. One thing Estephan doesn’t have to worry about is people demanding their money back after his fight.
““He has incredible stamina and incredible recovery. He’s a very offensive fighter, so he takes a lot of risks and chances. The crowd loves him because he’s the Fight of the Night almost every time he fights. It’s blood, guts and glory,” said Estephan, who is promoting Saturday’s event with Top Rank.
Estephan adds that the plan is for Chabot to fight one more eight-round fight and then begin preparing for ten-round and regional fights.
Chabot admits he has a lot of work to do and will have a chance to show his potential in the fight against Guenemil, a 30-year-old from Buenos Aires, Argentina, who has not been stopped in 14 professional fights.
“I know it’s a huge exposure to be able to fight on ESPN, so I want to put on a good performance. It’s also a great opportunity to show what Thetford Mines boxing and Quebec boxing is all about. I want to give it my all because I know it’s a chance to take my career to the next level,” Chabot said.
“My dream is to become world champion, but I know I have to be patient. There are things I need to work on before I get there. I believe I can do it.”
The Mbilli-Derevyanchenko and Arslanbek Makhmudov-Guido Vianello fights will air live on ESPN starting at 10:00 p.m. ET, with the preliminary card airing on ESPN+ starting at 5:00 p.m.
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