What to Know
- Eye of the Tiger Management returns with a Thursday night fight card from Quebec City, headlined by top super middleweight prospect Wilkens Mathieu, facing veteran Esquiva Falcao
- The event airs on DAZN Boxing, starting with prelims at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
- A surge of Canadian boxing talent has developed over the years in Quebec, currently led by super-middleweight world champion Christian Mbilli and former undisputed light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.
American boxing fans are sometimes surprised to learn there are so many passionate boxing fans north of the border in Canada, and specifically in Quebec. But Quebec boasts a rich boxing history, and its passionate fans have filled venues in Quebec City and Montreal for major fight cards. In 1980, 46,317 filled the Olympic Stadium in Montreal for the first fight between Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard. They watched Duran battle his way to a close decision over Leonard in a marvelous fight.
Nine Canadian male boxers are in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, from Sam Langford to Lennox Lewis, who holds Canadian citizenship. Though both were born in Haiti, Adonis Stevenson and Jean Pascal identified themselves as Québécois. And although he was born in Italy, the late Arturo Gatti grew up in Canada and represented Canada as an amateur.
In a 2013 interview with ESPN, Stevenson’s then-promoter, Yvon Michel, said Quebec boxing fans are similar to Mexican boxing fans.
“The French-speaking people are a bit like the Mexicans,” said Michel. “They are very passionate and like combat sports. Also, people in Quebec like to support winners and champions. We have produced world champions on a regular basis, which has made it a major league sport here. It is considered trendy to attend a boxing event.”
For several years, Stevenson was the only Canadian world champion. The next man to step up was Russian-born Artur Beterbiev, who began his pro career with a knockout win in 2013 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. He became a Canadian citizen in 2022.
In recent years, a surge of young talent has emerged in Quebec, led by super middleweight world champion Christian Mbilli.
Wilkens Mathieu Headlines At Home in Quebec City
Mbilli’s stablemate and the price of Quebec City, NABF champion Wilkens Mathieu (15-0, 10 KOs) will headline his first card in front of his hometown fans against Olympic medalist and former world title challenger Esquiva Falcao of Brazil (32-2, 21 KOs) at the Théâtre Capitole of Quebec City. The seven-fight card airs on DAZN Boxing, starting with prelims at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
The 21-year-old is the youngest among the legitimate super-middleweight contenders, ranked tenth by the WBC and 15th by the WBA.
Mathieu is generating a lot of buzz among Canadian fans, delivering exciting knockout wins and delivering with personality in interviews and on social media. The question being answered with Thursday’s matchup against Falcao, an Olympic medalist whose only losses came against a world champion and an Olympic champion, is whether Mathieu is being moved too quickly.
But it hasn’t troubled his stablemate Mbilli, and it shouldn’t trouble Mathieu, who’s never come close to feeling threatened in the ring. He is trained by Giuseppe Moffa, boxing’s youngest elite trainer at age 24.
Co-Main Event Features Quebec’s Leila Beaudoin
The vacant WBA Interim World Super Featherweight will be up for grabs between two former world title challengers: Leïla Beaudoin of Levis, Quebec (14-2, 2) and Paulina Angel of Colombia (7-2-2, 3 KOs).
Beaudoin suffered a loss in her title challenge against Alycia Baumgardner in December, but came back with a 10-round shutout decision in April. Angel gave Stephanie Han a serious challenge including a knockdown before losing by decision last August.
Angel had moved up a division for the title fight against Han. Now back in her natural weight class, she is undefeated and the current Latin American champion.
Beaudoin’s stablemate Jhon Orobio, born in Colombia and now one of Canada’s top prospects, who won with a spectacular knockout last week, said, “Quebec versus Colombia can only produce a great fight.” He should know.
Undercard Action Features EOTTM Prospects
Top ten light heavyweight contender and Olympian Mehmet Unal of Montreal (15-0, 13 KOs) will defend his WBC and WBA continental titles against former kickboxing champion Yoann Kongolo (18-3-1, 7 KOs).
Kongolo’s name will be familiar to kickboxing fans. He fought for Glory, the same organization that produced Rico Verhoeven. He is tough and durable, and has never suffered a knockdown in boxing. This streak will be tested against the hard-hitting Unal.
Also on the card, super middleweight Moreno Fendero (14-0, 10 KOs) faces veteran Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz of Puerto Rico (21-1, 17 KOs), whose only loss is to Edgar Berlanga.
Super featherweight Thomas Chabot of Thetford Mines, Quebec (12-1, 8 KOs) takes on Jose Antonio Sampedro of Mexico (13-2-1, 7 KOs).
EOTTM prospect Erik Israyelyan, a native of Armenia based in Montreal (5-0, 3 KOs), faces Johan Guzman of Chile (2-1, 2 KOs).
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.