(Montreal) Steven Butler was quick to get rid of Mark DeLuca Friday night at the Casino de Montreal cabaret. After a lackluster first round, the Montrealer knocked down the contender at 1:59 of the second round, thus retaining his North American Boxing Federation (NABF) middleweight title, won on June 23 against Brandon Brewer. .
Posted at 10:31 p.m.
After Butler (31-3-1, 26 KOs) landed a few combinations, he landed a solid right hook to the head of DeLuca (28-4, 16 KOs), who been pushed back into the cables. The American only took a step towards the middle of the ring before taking another solid right to the chin, which sent him to the mat.
DeLuca, who had placed good lefts in the first round, fracturing Butler’s nose, got up after an eight count. But when referee Steve St-Germain asked him if he was able to continue, DeLuca struggled to keep his balance and the official had no choice but to stop the fight.
This victory revives Butler, who won a third straight duel – including two by knockout – after suffering two consecutive knockout losses against Ryota Murata and Jose de Jesus Macias.
Just before Butler and DeLuca entered the ring, the expeditious Thomas Chabot (7-0, 7 KOs) kept his immaculate record against Armando Ramirez (3-2).
The superfeather of Thetford Mines sent the Mexican for the first time to the mat in the first round. Ramirez went full throttle in the second round. Badly took him. He went to the mat twice.
Referee Martin Forest did not give a count the second time around, stopping the fight after 1:24.
Spectacular victory for Gongora
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The French Emma Gongora
Women’s boxing once again put on its finery in the fight between Quebecer Martine Vallière-Bisson (5-2, 1 KO) against Emma Gongora (5-2).
The Frenchwoman, who is ranked fourth in the world at 55 kg in kickboxing with a record of 19-1, demonstrated the full extent of her pugilistic talent: despite having two points taken away from her for blows to the back of the head, she signed a fifth consecutive victory by unanimous decision, with scores of 57-54 (twice) and 58-54 after a hard-fought fight.
Vallière-Bisson, who suffered a broken nose and visited the mat in the second bout, lost a second straight fight.
Early in the evening, Hamza Khabbaz (5-0, 1 K. -O.) dominated the Mexican Jose Gutierrez Bolanos (2-6) to sign a victory by unanimous decision. Even if the three judges gave cards of 40-36, the welterweight will have to improve his defense, porous at times, especially in the third round.
Among the superfeathers, Jean-François Gardy (3-0, 2 K. -O.) spent the evening placing his right over the guard of Mexican Andres Sanchez Ramirez (4-5-3, 2 K. -O .).
Sanchez Ramirez, however, took it all, so Gardy signed a first victory by unanimous decision, the three judges granting him scores of 40-36 (twice) and 39-37.