(Quebec) Leïla Beaudoin wanted to make sure that it would be impossible for her supporters to doubt. She didn’t just want to win: she wanted to do it decisively, categorically. With her belt around her waist, she can say mission accomplished.
The boxer from Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac beat Lizbeth Crespo by unanimous decision, in what she considers to be her “best fight of her career.”
She followed her game plan to the letter during the first seven rounds. Beaudoin wanted to strike first, retreat, then capitalize when Crespo counterattacked. That’s exactly what she did. “My start to the fight was exceptional, even exemplary,” she commented. “I was very precise, very technical. I took him where I wanted him.”
The last three rounds were tougher. Crespo was trailing. She had to go all out to win, to be more aggressive.
On top of that, Beaudoin was fighting her first 10-round fight in her career. Toward the end, she seemed to be running out of energy. “She started to charge at me and play more dirty. Fatigue set in,” Beaudoin admitted.
These last, more laborious rounds will seem of little importance in a few months. This victory, and above all, this new belt will allow Beaudoin to be recognized within the World Boxing Organization (WBO), and to gain visibility with a view to a possible world championship.
Emotional and spectacular
The organizers of the gala had warned spectators to arrive at the Videotron Centre as early as possible, to ensure they did not miss a single second of the action. However, at the time of the second fight of the evening, half of them were invisible. They will certainly regret having missed the performance of Thetford Mines’ ghost, Thomas Chabot, who won by unanimous decision.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Thomas Chabot
At least Chabot was able to count on a large part of his family and friends. The encouragement towards him was well received.
“I won’t hide that I felt a lot of nervousness. It was heating up here,” he shared after the fight, pointing to his heart.
Chabot expected his opponent Matias Guenemil to be measured and technical. It wasn’t the case. Instead, a street fight took shape. The two opponents moved very little. They found themselves in the middle of the ring and exchanged for eight rounds. To hell with defense.
That wasn’t the game plan. I’m a warrior in my blood. Tonight I reacted that way. It’ll be an adjustment to make, but I showed what I had in my belly.
Thomas Chabot
Matias Guenemil dropped a knee to the ground in the middle of the third round. He still managed to finish all eight rounds, despite having less energy towards the end. Two judges gave one score 80-72, and the other 79-73.
What grade would Chabot give himself for his performance? “Normally, I would give myself a 5,” he says, before changing his mind. “I’ve been too hard on myself in the past. I’ll give myself a 7.5.”
Thomas Chabot had to deal with a major cut on his forehead in the middle of the fight. The blood running down his face, however, did not cause him any harm. “It’s just better for the show,” concluded the main person concerned, not caring much about the backstage still running up his nose.
Walk in the park
Even before a punch was thrown, a strange fight awaited Eye of the Tiger Management star Wilkens Mathieu. His opponent, Facundo Galovar, showed up overweight.
The fight was originally scheduled to be held at 172 pounds. The two sides eventually agreed to a maximum weight of 178 pounds. But Galovar was unable to honor that limit, even when raised, causing the scale to swing to 183 pounds.
The Argentinian therefore had to give 20% of his purse to Mathieu. “I think it’s a lack of respect. We knew from the beginning that he wasn’t going to make the grade, but he waited until the last minute to say it. We would have liked him to say it five days in advance,” criticized Mathieu, after his victory.
Despite all this controversy, it was mainly in the ring that Galovar failed to make any weight. He failed to win any of the 6 rounds, limiting himself essentially to defending himself and remaining on his feet.
Galovar may not have been in Olympian form in Quebec, but he still managed to avoid a knockout.
“I’m satisfied with my performance, nothing more,” commented Wilkens Mathieu. “My team told me not to take any chances. He was an experienced guy, heavier.”
“I’m on another level. I thought this would be the biggest test of my career. I was told it was going to be dangerous. I made it look easy.”
Despite his 19 years, Mathieu already considers himself world-class. However, he believes that he will have to wait 2 or 3 years before measuring himself against boxers of his quality, the time to fatten up his resume somewhat.