Photo: Vincent Ethier – Before cheering his new headliner, Christian Mbilli, this Saturday, at the Gervais Auto Center, Mauricie will thank his son, ‘The Grizzly’, Simon Kean, for more than a decade of memories.
We forget too often.
We forget that Simon Kean, a guy from Mauricie, represented Canada at the London Olympic Games in 2012.
We forget that Simon Kean filled the Gervais Auto Center “to capacity” in an epic fight against Adam Braidwood. In New York, David Lemieux was given a silver ticket because he filled Madison Square Garden for his fight against Golovkin. In Shawinigan, whose city plan was drawn according to New York with its 5th avenue and its Central Park, we are going to give a big thank you to Simon Kean.
And he deserves it.
We forget that Simon Kean allowed three documentaries to be filmed to highlight Shawinigan and the region for his fights fought in Mauricie.
We forget that Simon Kean attracted 750,000 viewers to TVA for his fight against Braidwood. We forget that Simon Kean earned the right to face Joseph Parker in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 28. He lost to Parker, but the same man demolished the legendary Deontay Wilder in twelve one-sided rounds three months later. It puts everything into perspective.
A brilliant man
But above all, we forget to what extent Simon Kean is a bright and generous man. Over a well-stocked hamburger, you can chat for hours with Simon. He knows about politics, economics and above all, he knows the society where he built his career as a boxer and where he is undertaking the construction of a new career in business.
Simon came to spend a few days at home in Florida. A few times. In the evening, if we organized a dinner with friends, we had to make sure that Simon was not held back by his classes to become a general contractor. And if he passed all the tests and exams, it’s because he studied seriously.
We don’t know much about Simon Kean. Because he has to manage a giant body that he seems to move with a certain nonchalance, because he happens to weakly articulate thoughts of a certain depth, because he is capable of youthful curiosity when faced with phenomena that good, ordinary people are not even capable of glimpsing.
This Saturday, Shawinigan, Eye of The Tiger… and a veteran columnist who has had a lot of pleasure following an often eventful, never boring career, will say thank you to an athlete who has given a lot to the fans.
Thank you, Simon Kean.
