With four of the five opponents having to be replaced on less than two weeks’ notice, we could not expect the gala of the year at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal on Thursday. But Mathieu Germain and Zsolt Osadan did what was necessary to get the crowd on their feet and make them forget the lackluster start to the evening.
Germain (24-2-1, 9 KOs), aspiring no 10 in the International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-lightweight title and Osadan (26-2-1, 17 KOs) fought a fierce and very close fight. The Slovak showed good defensive skills and landed some good blows, but generally speaking, it was Germain who led the way, more active and more precise than his rival.
The Montrealer also obtained the favor of the judges by unanimous decision with scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92.
“I’m happy with my performance overall, but maybe it’s not entirely the impression I would have liked to leave,” Germain said after the fight. I knew he was going to give me good opposition. He’s a guy who had a great amateur career and who suffered his only defeat in the European Championship. […] He knows how to box. »
Osadan has nothing to be ashamed of for his performance. The Slovak was surly, stopping at nothing, even allowing himself a touch of arrogance.
After three rather close rounds, Germain began to clearly gain the upper hand in the fourth. Two beautiful combinations, including one ending with a solid direct to the face, punctuated this engagement.
In the fifth, it was on the counterattack that Germain stood out, while Osadan launched some good attacks.
Germain continued this momentum and in the last three rounds, Osadan’s defense was no longer as effective. Germain was able to land a few power shots, shots that Osadan had parried at the start of the fight, not anymore.
Germain was not able to close the books before the end of the fight, but it was a flawless performance that he delivered against a lower ranked opponent.
“It was an adaptation: I had to face a 6-foot right-handed boxer, but it was ultimately a 5-foot-7 left-hander that I faced,” noted Germain. I only sparred three times against lefties. I used the first rounds to do another. »
This is the type of fight that when you go to the next level, you need this type of opponent. He entered the fight as it progressed, he found his bearings and the more rounds went by, the more precise he was.
Stéphan Larouche, coach
“Sometimes he tried to do a little too much. He didn’t look very good at those times. But in the end, considering the situation with Mexican boxers, he fought against a real opponent and I’m happy with what he did. »
Veyre at volume
PHOTO RYAN REMIORZ, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Caroline Veyre
Caroline Veyre was the only pugilist on this card whose opponent remained the same since the signing of the contract. That didn’t make for a closer fight.
Veyre (7-0) seemed alone in the ring against Argentina’s Agustina Marisa Belen Rojas (8-7). Largely favored by her long reach, the featherweight, 2015 Pan American gold medalist and Canada’s representative at the Tokyo Olympics, hammered Rojas with blows from the first to the last sound of the bell.
With lively and incisive combinations, Veyre set the pace throughout the fight. If she has not yet found the power to stop her opponents before the limit, she does not experience a drop in energy. His punch volume was almost the same in the eighth round as in the first.
Rojas tried to respond, but Veyre made sure to keep her at bay and the Argentine practically never touched the Quebecer, who received scores of 80-72 from the three judges.
Veyre will be back in action on May 16, still at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal, while Mazlum Akdeniz will play the final.
Shortened evening
Derek Pomerleau (7-0, 5 KOs) started his evening of work well against Milan Ganoska (5-3-3, 3 KOs). The middleweight was precise and his combinations were incisive. His blows seemed heavy. It was also with a jab to the head, followed by a powerful right hook to the body, that Pomerleau sent the Czech to the mat in the first round.
Ganoska got up before the end of the count and showed a lot of fighting spirit, but Pomerleau responded blow for blow to his opponent’s attacks. Sometimes even with two shots for each of Ganoska’s.
As he returned to the corner, Ganoska pointed to his left shoulder, appearing to be in trouble, trouble confirmed by his abandonment moments later. Ganoska was struggling to move his arm when the time came to meet the RACJ doctor.
Repentigny middleweight Kevin Menoche (8-1, 6 KOs) faced a resilient opponent in Kristian Dzurnak (4-6-2, 2 KOs). The Czech visited the floor five times before Yvon Goulet decided it was best for everyone to end Dzurnak’s night of work. The knockout technical was officially registered at 1:54 of the fourth round.
In the curtain raiser, Theothilus Owusu (3-0, 2 KOs) was quick against Marek Poncik (1-1-1, 1 KO). The super-lightweight, protégé of the Howard brothers and Otis Grant, knocked down the Czech with a violent left hook to the plexus. Seeing that he was not going to catch his breath in time, referee Albert Padulo Jr. had no choice but to stop the fight after 44 seconds.