The first time the possibility of a fight between Erik Bazinyan and Steven Butler was mentioned, Camille Estephan fiercely opposed it. In the eyes of the man at the head of Eye of the Tiger, it was unthinkable that two athletes he saw growing up would cross swords.
Estephan had well organized the “Carré d’As” between Steve Claggett, Mathieu Germain, David Théroux and Yves Ulysse fils a few years ago, but there was already a strong rivalry between several of them and the pandemic context which prevailed at the time lent itself to it.
But by listening to the arguments of development director and head coach of Eye of the Tiger Marc Ramsay, Estephan ended up recognizing that it was the logical next step for Bazinyan (32-1-1, 23 K. -O.) and Butler (35-5-1, 29 KOs), who are at a crossroads, as they are already preparing to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary.
The two boxers will face off on March 14 at the Espace St-Denis, the legendary 2,218-seat theater hosting boxing for the first time in its rich and glorious history.
“Honestly, I had to be convinced by Marc,” said Estephan with a trembling voice on Thursday afternoon, although he was naturally convincing and enthusiastic. He’s right. He is completely right. Antonin (Décarie, general director of Eye of the Tiger, Editor’s note) too. In terms of boxing, this is the fight to be had. I do it reluctantly, to be honest. »
More than anyone, Estephan knows that Bazinyan and Butler are at pivotal moments in their careers and that it is increasingly complicated to organize fights at a time when the industry is controlled by a handful of players on the international scene.
The promoter was convinced that Bazinyan would receive offers after his performance against Jaime Munguia last September in Glendale, Arizona – he was knocked out in the 10th round – but the Laval resident of Armenian origin is considered too dangerous despite his interesting ranking – 11th in the WBC and 11th in the WBO at super-middleweight.
Butler, meanwhile, is looking for a fresh start at 168 pounds, after spending almost all of the last 6 years at 160, where he competed and lost 2 world championship fights, against Ryota Murata as well as Zhanibek Alimkhanuly.
“Erik will have to be careful when he says this is a good comeback fight. It’s a bit insulting to Steven, said Estephan. Steven can really stop anyone…
-“He’s a guy with character, a real fighter, a real warrior and he’s got one hell of a right hand. When you know how hard he hits, he can really win any fight. »
Even though they have been alongside each other since their debut around the age of 10-11 in the amateur ranks – Butler also considers Bazinyan his best friend in the world of boxing – the two men have placed emphasis on he “business” aspect of their confrontation, as if it were a tragic fatality that they simply could not avoid.
« Avant [Munguia] I hadn’t fought against a big name. Now I know what that feeling is. I have this experience, I am sure that it will help me to be more professional, said Bazinyan. It gives me a lot of experience to improve.
“I know I have skills and intelligence in the ring, but I don’t particularly like talking about myself. I’m going to be a lot more serious than usual, because he hits hard too. It’s going to be a great fight. I really know what I have to do. »
“Emotions are going to be part of the game plan,” Butler promised the author of these lines when the latter reminded him that they were an integral part of his identity.
“The best Steven can beat Erik, but he has to be there. Erik, he’s a fighter, a guy who is super good, who has a good IQ, a good jab, good footwork… he’s a complete boxer, maybe even the most complete boxer there is. ‘Eye of the Tiger…
“It’s certain that everyone sees me as the loser in this fight. The fact that Erik had a good performance in his last fight against Munguia, who is world class. In my last fights, I notably lost against [Patrice] Volny, which is not of the same quality as Munguia, but it motivates me, that’s what activates me. I was also underdog against Steve Rolls, but I stopped him in the first round and that should not be forgotten. »
Note that Ramsay has decided to recuse himself from this fight and that he will not be in Bazinyan’s corner to avoid any form of conflict of interest. It is his deputy Samuel Décarie-Drolet who will take over, a “non-event”, in the eyes of Bazinyan, who has often fought without Ramsay in his corner in the past. “It’s me who’s fighting,” he said.
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