What to Know
- Super lightweight Jhon “El Tigre” Orobio graduated from prospect to contender with a big win in his first main event from Montreal on Thursday.
- Orobio stopped undefeated contender Hendri Cedeno of the Dominican Republic in three rounds on the Eye of the Tiger card airing on DAZN Boxing.
- Orobio says he’s ready to take on the top-ranked contenders at 140 pounds.
After being nominated twice as Prospect of the Year, those days might be over for super lightweight Jhon “El Tigre” Orobio. Orobio officially graduated from prospect to contender on Thursday night in Montreal.
Orobio of Colombia (20-0, 18 KOs) dealt previously undefeated Hendri “La Bazuca” Cedeno of the Dominican Republic (16-1, 12 KOs) his first loss in three swift rounds in the main event of the Eye of the Tiger card.
Speaking in his quickly improving French after moving to Montreal three years ago, Orobio said, “Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me and looked out for me. My heartfelt thanks to all the team – amen! “I am going to put in all the work necessary to show my appreciation. I am truly happy to be part of this wonderful group. Thank you all so much!” said Orobio following the victory.
Jhon Orobio Shows His Claws Against Cedeno
In front of a sold-out crowd at the Casino de Montréal, Orobio quickly sized up Cedeno and recognized that the well-regarded opponent wasn’t a threat. Orobio traded power shots with Cedeno in the first round, and he walked right through them. From that point, it was game on.
Cedeno couldn’t get out of the way of Orobio’s offense as he got nailed with hooks set up by Orobio’s slick double jabs. Orobio scored a knockdown close to the bell at the end of round one with a right hook off a double jab that was on the money. Cedeno survived and made it to his corner.
Cedeno gathered his wits in the second round, but Orobio caught up with him midway through the third round, rocking him with another right hook for a knockdown. With 90 seconds to work with, El Tigre unleashed the beast and landed a dozen hard power punches over 20 seconds. Just as Orobio looked ready to pounce and land the final punches, the referee stepped in and called it a night.
WOW! JHON OROBIO STOPS HENRI CEDENO IN ROUND 3! ✨
#OrobioCedeno ▪️ https://t.co/QtcKRzehCQ
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 13, 2026
Cedeno protested what he felt was an early stoppage, but there was no point in letting him take any more damage.
Orobio, switching to Spanish, spoke to his family and supporters watching in Colombia. “I’m very happy, and I’ll keep working hard. There’s more to come! Thank you all, and may God bless you!”
Orobio Now A Serious Contender
Orobio has been one of boxing’s best-kept secrets. Trained by Canada’s highly respected Marc Ramsay, he is already ranked seventh in the world by both the WBC and WBA, and 12th in the IBF rankings. “I’ve sent a message to the entire division regarding what’s going to happen in the next fight. I want to show everyone who the best is. I’m going to take on the top fighters in the division,” promised Orobio.
With his exciting finish on a DAZN Boxing card, let’s hope the word spreads and more fans become aware of the 22-year-old Colombian’s skills and charisma. After being nominated twice as the Ring Magazine Prospect of the Year in 2024 and 2025, he might finally nail down the honor this year. But it’s his last chance, because he’ll be moving past prospect status in 2027.
Bazinyan Bounces Back After Break To Beat Butler
Despite having been out of the ring for 26 months, Erik “Bzo” Bazinyan of Laval, Quebec (33-1-1, 24 KO) couldn’t have looked better in his return, stopping a determined but ultimately outgunned Steven “Bang Bang” Butler of Montreal (38-7-1, 32 KO).
Coming off a loss to current super middleweight champion Jaime Munguia, and after 34 months without a win, the victory resurrected Bazinyan’s career as he pummeled and pushed Butler around the ring, grinding him down.
After roughing him up and winning every round, Bazinyan scored a knockdown at the end of the ninth round of a ten-round bout. Butler made it to the break, but when the tenth-round bell rang, he came out on shaky legs. Bazinyan landed a trio of shots and the referee stepped in at 22 seconds of the round. In an active super middleweight division and based on Thursday’s performance, Bazinyan will have plenty of opportunities to stay active in 2027.
Butler was also coming off a loss by seventh-round TKO to Edgar Berlanga last July at Madison Square Garden in New York. EOTTM promoter Camille Estephan suggested Butler retire, but like so many veterans, he didn’t want to go out on a loss. Out of respect for his long career with EOTTM, Estephan made the matchup. But his original instincts about Butler were right.
Eye of the Tiger Undercard Highlights
Also featured on the card, Canadian Olympic medalist Wyatt Sanford (9-0, 4 KO) won a solid eight-round decision over Mexico City native Gabriel Jimenez (14-2-1, 9 KO). He won every round on all three scorecards, 80-72.
Lightweight Avery Duval Martin of Montreal (17-0-1, 9 KOs) delighted his many fans ringside with a fourth-round TKO win over veteran Damien Wrzezinski of Poland (29-5-3, 7 KOs). Martin calls himself “The Future” and it looks good as he will be stepped up and matched in higher profile fights in 2027.
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.
