“I really wanted to give everything until the last second, the last bell. That’s what I did, ”launched a disappointed, but serene Marie-Pier Houle.
The Quebecer fought boldly and until the end, as she had promised herself, but it was not enough. She had to admit defeat by unanimous decision to Britain’s Sandy Ryan on Saturday in Cardiff, Wales. She saw the WBO welterweight title slip through her hands.
“I’m disappointed, I won’t hide it. I would have really liked to bring the belt home. […] That was my goal. I gave what I could give. I did the best performance I could, “suggested the athlete in videoconference, an hour and a half after his first career setback.
“I’m usually super hard on myself. Today, I will not hit myself on the head. I’ve already received enough beatings! »
PHOTO ANDREW COULDRIDGE, REUTERS
Sandy Ryan
The native of Terrebonne does not have to be ashamed of her performance. As soon as the bell sounded at Motorpoint Arena, she attacked her opponent aggressively, landing several good shots on a more defensive Sandy Ryan from the start.
The pace picked up a notch in the fourth round and the Englishwoman took the lead with heavy and powerful shots, which Houle had so far managed to avoid somehow. Touched many times in the face in the middle of the duel, the Quebecer began to bleed from the nose. In the ninth, Ryan threw a violent uppercut at him. In the tenth, the latter continued to multiply the strikes.
Houle landed several good jabs, but her opponent, a little taller than her, seemed downright unwavering. “I wish I had hurt him more!” “has also launched Houle.
“I never felt Marie-Pier discouraged in the area,” said her coach, Sébastien Gauthier. I sometimes felt she was a little overwhelmed. »
Where Houle was unsettled was when her opponent wrapped his arms around her to hold her back and prevent her from applying pressure. Ryan “weighed on her head, on her shoulders”, pushed her into the cables before unleashing combinations.
“Often, it’s me who tends to hang on and there, I felt like I was taken in by her. […] I think that’s what will have to be corrected for the next fights. »
“Proud” of her first ten rounds
It was the first time that Marie-Pier Houle had fought in a ten-round bout, but it didn’t show. She took it “one round at a time” and didn’t seem to run out of energy.
I never asked the question about what round we were at. I was just sitting down, breathing, listening to advice, getting some water, getting up and going back to war. That’s just what I wanted.
Marie Pier Houle
Even if she “suspected that it would not go [son] edge”, the Quebecer refused to let herself be defeated. As she puts it well; she “is not someone who gives up in life”, and she has proven it.
“I’ve always said that I’m not necessarily the fan of undefeated records because among girls, almost everyone has losses. I learn from this fight. I will recheck it, study it. I will analyze myself. I’m proud to have done my first ten rounds, to have made it this far. »
Its promoter, Yvon Michel, also said he was “proud” of his athlete’s performance. ” [Ryan] is a girl who had just more maturity and experience than Marie-Pier. But Marie-Pier showed a lot of determination. She believed in it from start to finish. »
An enriching experience
Houle displayed the sincere smile that we know him despite the disappointment of the defeat. The same smile she displayed when entering the ring to the sound of Fuel, from Metallica, with the flag of Wales – the region of the United Kingdom where the fight took place – held out at arm’s length. “I wanted to thank a little [les gens de Wales] the fact that I really had a great week here,” she explained of this.
Despite the result, she is happy with her first experience in the World Championship.
It’s a big experience, but I think I lived it thoroughly. I managed to keep my head strong all week, to not get overwhelmed by all this excitement around me, to really live every moment.
Marie Pier Houle
The pugilist now intends to enjoy a little rest before studying her fight and getting back to work.
“Since the start of my career, I have said that I want challenges, to get to the top. […] I will fight back in the world championship, and eventually, I will go for the victory. I will recover from this defeat, ”she promised.