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Cloutier’s Canada Corner
Lafrenière: "I Could Not Be
More
Ready To Face This Challenge"
By: Daniel Cloutier
MONTRÉAL - The Montrealer Francis Lafrenière will proceed to
the first defense of his NABO middleweight North American
championship Saturday evening in a boxing show organized by
Rixa Promotions, at the Tohu bar-theatre in the North Side
of Montréal.
A fighter from Cöteau-Du-Lac, a Montréal West Island suburb,
Lafrenière (15-5-2), who has the Montrealers Howard and Otis
Grant as trainers, will face the Mexican Oscar Cortez
(26-2-0).
Lafrenière is actually ranked seventh contender by the WBO
in the 160 pounds division.
“It would be fantastic to get the chance to fight for a
world championship in 2018, but I got to go step by step,”
said Lafrenière at the weight in held at the Monster Gym in
Dorval in the West Island of Montréal. “Now, I got to be
totally concentrate on my next opponent, Oscar Cortez. I saw
him in action on video, and no doubt it’s a big challenge
for me. But more a challenge is big, more I am enthusiast,
and more my preparation is good. I could not be readier to
face this challenge. I really believe I will have a good
evening Saturday.”
Howard Grant said: “Cortez has a good record, he is a solid
puncher, he is a good fighter, then, it’s certainly an
interesting challenge for Francis. But as you saw it since a
year, Francis made a marvelous progression in his boxing
career. He improved a lot his technique, he became North
American champion, he is ranked by the WBO, and he is
extremely motivated to dispute significant bouts in the
international boxing scene. I think he will have a brilliant
future on the international boxing scene. He is workings so
hard in the gym to improve his situation.”
Just before the bout Lafrenière-Cortez, the Montrealer super
middleweight Erik Bazinyan (15-0-0), who could dispute a
North American 168 pounds championship before the end of the
year, gonna try to stay undefeated in fighting the Mexican
Rolando Paredes (13-4-2).
The most important preliminaries bouts of the evening will
involve the super lightweight Roody Pierre-Paul (14-3-1),
the lightweight Golden Garcia (8-0-1), the middleweight
Jordan Balmir (4-0-0) and the lightweight Chann Thonson
(2-0-0), all Montrealers, who will all face Mexicans
fighters, like Lafrenière and Bazinyan will do.
Paul will fight Oscar Barajas (17-4-1), Garcia will face
Luis Zambrano (14-10-1), Balmir will challenge Adrian Campos
(1-2-2) and Thonson will be opposed to Tonathiu Garcia
(4-3-1).
In the three opening bouts of the evening, the Montrealer
middleweight Jean-Michel Bolivar (1-0-0), from
Pointe-Calumet, Québec, will fight Mikhail Miller (0-1-1),
from Toronto, the Montrealer super lightweight Mohammed
Soumaoro (1-0-0) will face the Mexican Alfredo Cardenas
(4-6-0) and finally, the Montrealer cruiserweight Jimmy Ray
Thompson will make his pro debut in fighting the Mexican
Fabian Valdez (1-0-0).
At the weigh in, supervised by the Québec Athletic
Commission (Régie provinciale des sports de combat)
Lafrenière posted an official weight of 158.7 pounds, Cortez
161.8, Bazinyan 166, Paredes 168, Pierre-Paul 135.2, Barajas
136.3, Golden Garcia 138, Zambrano 133.5, Balmir 156.8,
Campos 156.3, Thonson 133.9, Tonathiu Garcia 136, Bolivar
160, Miller 158.6, Soumaoro 137.3, Cardenas 136.9, Thompson
183 and Valdez 181.6 pounds.
The opening bout, Thompson-Valdez. will start at 7.00 PM.
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