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Cloutier’s Canada Corner
Antonin Décarie: "I Hope To
Face
Guerrero Or Malignaggi In 2013"
By Daniel Cloutier
MONTRÉAL - The welterweight Antonin Décarie has greatly
increased his popularity and credibility on September 29th
at the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut, when he surprised
everyone at his first boxing fight televised by HBO. The
Montrealer had a great performance that night. Faster and
meaner than his
opponent, he stopped Alex Perez in less than six rounds.
Perez, a tall fighter from New Jersey, came in the ring with
a perfect record (16-0-0), and he was supposed to win
clearly that bout, according the HBO commentators.
“This win against Perez is my most significant one in pro
boxing, a victory which has a huge impact on my career,”
said Décarie (27-1-0), who is ranked number eight contender
by the WBC, 14th by the WBA. “I know I surprised a lot of
people in U.S.A. that night, and I am so happy to know that
HBO is interested to televise my next major bout. There is a
good possibility that I will be involved in a major bout at
the end of March, in preliminary of the fight Pascal-Dawson
(possibly March 23rd in Québec City). But if this bout is
not feasible for March, if nothing is signed very soon, I
will probably fight on the show “Rapides et Dangereux” (Fast
and Dangerous) of February 8th at Bell Centre. However,
something is clear in my mind: I want to fight Robert
Guerrero or Paul Malignaggi in 2013. The first one available
for me, will have just to contact my trainer (Marc Ramsay)
and my promoter (Yvon Michel), and I will certainly take
this challenge.”
Guerrero (31-1-1), who beat Andre Berto (28-2-0) by
unanimous decision November 24th at the Citizens Business
Bank Arena of Ontario, in California, in an interim WBC
championship bout, could fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. (43-0-0)
in a WBC welterweight world championship bout May 5th at MGM
Grand in Las Vegas. Malignaggi (32-4-0) is the WBA champion
of the world.
“I like the Guerrero's style, he is very aggressive, and I
know Malignaggi pretty well,” said Décarie. “I saw
Malignaggi fight the Montrealer Herman Ngoudjo in 2008 in
Atlantic City (Malignaggi won a close decision), and I got
the chance to spar with him in New York at the time I was
fighting in the amateurs. Guerrero has a reputation to be a
solid and dangerous puncher, and Malignaggi has more speed
than power. I am now a mature fighter, I never stopped to
improve my skills in the last years. I really feel I am
prepared now to face the top fighters of the welterweight
division. Yes, I think 2013 will be a crucial year for me.”
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