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Quebec Warrior Thomas Chabot Looks to Steal the Show in Quebec City

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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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Boxing

Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC

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Badou Jack Rozicki Mikaelian WBC

The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).

If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.

“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”

29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.

Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.

“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”

Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.

The next move is Badou Jack’s.

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Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years

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Floyd Mayweather 50-0

Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.

This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.

In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.

“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.

“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.

Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.

Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.

Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.

However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.

In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.

It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.

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Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios

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Manny Pacquiao vs Barrios

WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.

Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”

WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.

Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.

As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.

However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.

Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.

Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.

Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.

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