(Quebec) 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 the ghost of Thetford Mines, Thomas Chabot, who won by unanimous decision.
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.