It wasn’t complicated, but Steven Butler managed to rebuild a certain form of confidence, Thursday evening in the semi-finals of an Eye of the Tiger gala presented at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal, while Osleys Iglesias once again showed all his know-how.
Returning for the first time where Patrice Volny had inflicted his fifth defeat on him in June, Butler (35-5-1, 28 KOs) only took 2 minutes 36 seconds to find his way to victory , thus not having to shout to beat Fernando Ezequiel Farias (12-3-3).
As proof, the Argentinian quickly found himself on the ground from the first moments of the fight, after taking a jab that seemed rather timid. He then obviously was no match when the 29-year-old Montrealer decided to attack in combinations.
Unsurprisingly, Butler didn’t have to go out of his way to make Farias look bad, who quickly found himself in the air after receiving a simple jab. Sensing the opportunity, he then had only to attack in combination in order to put an end to hostilities.
“I knew my opponent was not at my level. I was pretty sure I would win, but I didn’t have any expectations. My goal was to win the fight, Butler said after his victory. I told my team before the fight that I didn’t mind if it lasted eight rounds. I wanted to win every round and I didn’t want to look bad. »
The former world middleweight contender wasn’t absolutely keen to prove his latest setback is behind him, but admits the next few weeks will be enjoyable.
“I’m happy with the fight and my performance. I will be able to spend a good holiday season with my wife and children, he concluded. In the past, I have often struggled at the beginning of the year, requiring me to make sacrifices during this time of year. »
A little later in the final, Iglesias (13-0, 12 KOs) defended his IBO super middleweight title for the third time by beating Petro Ivanov (18-1-2) by stoppage from the referee at 0:40 of the 5th round. The Cuban boxer signed another victory before the limit by surprising his German opponent of Ukrainian origin with a quick right-left combination.
The latter then managed to get up, but did not respond to the instructions of referee Albert Padulo Jr., who wisely decided to end the fight.
“Iglesias showed us that he is a very special talent,” said promoter Camille Estephan. We knew that he was capable of hitting very hard, that he is aggressive and very disciplined, that he benefits from good coaching, but we did not yet know if he was a very good boxer. He showed this evening that he has no weakness. His ceiling is very high. »
Through an interpreter, Iglesias made it known that he would like to fight Saúl “Canelo Álvarez or even Jaime Munguia in his next fight, but his promoter will surely remind him that he is not the only one, start with Christian Mbilli.
Competing for a seventh fight this year, Wilkens Mathieu (12-0, 8 KOs) maintained his perfect record by beating Marcos Nicolas Karalitzky (8-10-2) by referee stoppage at 3:00 of the 4th round. Mathieu built his victory blow by blow before Karalitzky kneeled on the ground after being hit solidly in the face. Even though the bell announcing the end of the round rang, he did not get up, determining that he had done enough. This is only the second time that the Argentinian has been stopped before the limit. Last March in Drummondville, he notably managed to hold off Terry Osias for six rounds.
The Emirati of Belarusian origin Dzmitry Asanau (9-0, 4 KOs) took a significant step in his journey by getting his hands on the WBC continental super-lightweight belt of the Americas by taking the measure of Matias Carlos Adrian Rueda (38-3) by referee stoppage at 2:58 of the 5th round. Thanks to this victory, Asanau will climb into the top-40 of the WBC rankings, but will have to tighten up his defense if he wants to compete with the best.
Rueda in fact managed to significantly hit Samuel Décarie-Drolet’s protégé in the first rounds, including once in the second which forced Asanau to retreat in order to regain his senses. The one who participated twice in the Olympic Games nevertheless showed that he will be one to watch because of the creativity demonstrated in attack. In the third round, he notably managed to land several consecutive blows without reply.
In the opening, Jhon Orobio (12-0, 11 KOs) signed the quickest victory of his young career by beating Jacopo Colli (9-1-1) by referee stoppage at 1:12 of the 1st round. The Montreal prodigy of Colombian origin quickly destabilized his Italian opponent by sending him to the floor with a right hook, then finished the job with a right-left combination that convinced referee Martin Forest to put an end to the carnage.
After Leïla Beaudoin earlier this week, Thomas Chabot also saw his fight canceled on Wednesday after the medical examination required by the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux revealed that his rival Jesus Adrian Daneff was injured in one eye. This is a disappointment for the boxer from Thetford Mines who will have been limited to two fights this year.
More details to come
