STOCKTON, CA | Steven Butler fell to the floor three times in the second round, but he’s fine. After defeat comes disappointment.
• Read also: Steven Butler knocked out by Janibek in world middleweight championship bout
“I’m disappointed for him, this sport can be cruel sometimes. I’m proud that he tried. We believed in it because he had a very good training camp”, mentioned Camil Estephan of Eye of the Tiger Manager a few minutes after the end of the fight.
It was a powerful uppercut from Janibek Alimkhanuly that staggered the 27-year-old boxer.
“Steven got into the punch. He took the uppercut by wanting to hit, in principle it doubles the blow, explained later his trainer Rénal Boisvert. He still took a lot of hits without losing consciousness and after the fight he was in good shape, he spoke normally, but he had no legs.
Learning
For Camil Estephan, this quick defeat is another learning for his boxer.
“You learn from every fight. We have to see how he will react. He’s a fighter, he’s spectacular and if he wants to continue, we’ll be there for him. He recovered from something much worse than that. He is very disappointed and if he wasn’t, I would be worried.
“When you play in the Stanley Cup final and you lose, you were still in the final. It’s hard to accept.”
It’s a shame, adds Estephan, because there was no indication of such an outcome during the first engagement.
“He was really following the game plan, but one shot can change everything.”
The napkin
After his first visit to the floor, Steven Butler had limp legs and had trouble standing. It didn’t improve after his second fall.
In his corner, there was talk of throwing in the towel to prevent him from receiving more blows, which we ultimately did not do.
“We thought about throwing in the towel, recognized Rénald Boisvert. Marc and I consulted and wanted to give him another chance. We yelled at him to hang on to finish the round.
“Often, boxers find their legs in the next round. It was part of the strategy to hang on if he was in trouble, but it’s not in his nature, he wants to fight. He tried, but I don’t think he had enough legs to pull it off.”
No regrets
Rénald Boisvert, who has been training Butler since his debut, is proud of his foal and the courage he has shown in a difficult context.
“You shouldn’t have any regrets, we’ve reached a high level, it’s the top of the pyramid.”
In his eyes, to have been involved in a second world championship fight is a great achievement.
“There are not tons of boxers [québécois] who went to the world championship. He was brave to want to accept to face the world champion.