| |
|
|
Cloutier’s Canada Corner
Yvon Michel Believes He Will
Have Three
Or Four World Champions Next Year
By Daniel Cloutier
MONTRÉAL - Yvon Michel, the promoter of the GYM group,
believes that 2014 will be the biggest year in the history
of his company. “Our team has a world champion since June
8th, the night that Adonis Stevenson dethroned Chad Dawson
as WBC light heavyweight champion of the world (TKO in
thefirst round), and I am more than confident that our team
will have three or four world champions next year,” said
Michel Thursday afternoon in a press conference held at the
radio station Radio-Énergie in downtown of Montréal.
“Jean
Pascal and Eleider Alvarez have both great chances to be
world champions in 2014, and I like also the chances of
Kevin Bizier, who is at two wins to get his chance in a
welterweight world championship fight. Kevin will fight in a
preliminary bout September 28th at Bell Centre, he will
probably be involved in a major international fight before
the end of the year in Quebec City. I really expect to see
him in a welterweight world championship bout in 2014. And
watch David Lemieux! David will face tough and difficult
opponents at his next three bouts, to be better prepared for
an eventual participation to a middleweight world
championship bout (probably in 2015).”
In the press conference, Yvon Michel confirmed that Pascal,
Alvarez, Bizier, Lemieux, Antonin Décarie and the rookie
Artur Beterbiev, the very talented Russian light
heavyweight, will fight on the undercard of the September
28th show, when Stevenson (21-1-0) will proceed to the first
defense of his WBC light heavyweight crown, in fighting the
former IBF champion, Tavoris Cloud (24-1-0), from
Tallahassee, Florida.
“All the stars of our team will fight September 28th,” said
Yvon Michel. “We got to keep Pascal, Alvarez, Bizier,
Décarie, Lemieux and Beterbiev actives, because all will
have a major role on the pro boxing international scene in
the next years.”
September 28th, Pascal (27-2-1), the former WBC light
heavyweight champion of the world, will face George Blades
(23-4-2), a fighter of 38 years old from Indianapolis. “I
wanted to be active next month to be sharper for my match up
with Lucian Bute (31-1-0), which has been postponed for
January 18th (Bell Centre), and the GYM Group is giving me
that chance,’ said Pascal. ‘I know in my mind I will beat
Bute
in January and become world champion for the second time in
2014.”
Alvarez (12-0-0) will face Edison Miranda (35-8-0), who has
been involved in three world championship bouts between 2005
and 2010. “Alvarez and Miranda are two Colombians, and for
Colombia, this fight will have the same amplitude than the
bout Pascal-Bute for Canada,” said Yvon Michel. “Alvarez has
great chances to fight the new WBO champion of the world,
Sergey Kovalev, next year, than, we got to keep him sharp
and active. Alvarez would love to face Kovalev, a fighter
that he beat twice in the amateurs.”
Lemieux (29-2-0) will fight Marcus Upshaw (15-10-2), a boxer
from Jacksonville, Florida. “Upshaw has a difficult style,
and it is exactly why we pick him to face David,” said the
trainer Marc Ramsay. “Upshaw surprised Renan St-Juste in
2010 in Québec City, with a win by unanimous decision. David
needs difficult opponents to be prepared to face the best
middleweights in the world in 2014 and 2015.”
Décarie (27-2-0), who lost his last bout in Argentina April
27th, against the Interim WBC welterweight champion of the world,
the Argentinian Luis Carlos Abregu (35-1-0), will face
Cedrick Spera (10-2-0), from Belgium.“Antonin gave a solid
opposition to Abregu in Argentina, and even if he lost that
fight, my fighter still has a solid credibility on the
international pro boxing scene, said Yvon Michel. The WBC is
preparing series of tournaments (like the Showtime Super
Six) in several divisions, including the welterweight
division, and Décarie will be part of it. Antonin will have
his chances to win major fights in 2014 and 2015.”
The GYM Group will confirm soon the Bizier (20-0-0) and
Beterbiev (1-0-0) opponents for this September 28th boxing
show. The main event, the fight Stevenson-Cloud, will be
televise by HBO.
|
|
|
