Photo: Vincent Ethier – Since joining Montreal’s Silvertooth Gym, EOTTM’s protégé has experienced the best moments of his young career with a record of 2-0, 2 KOs.
Avery Martin-Duval (10-0-1, 6 K.O.) will make his grand return to the ring this Thursday at the Montreal Casino. Kept away due to an injury, the athlete nicknamed ‘The Future’ will face Mexican prospect Jesus Gomez Adorno (6-0, 2 K.O.) in his first bout in over seven months, his longest career layoff so far…
“I had a pinched nerve in my neck. From sparring, it affected my right shoulder up to my shoulder blade,” explains the fighter who couldn’t put on gloves for nearly two months, a period where he struggled to sleep between pain and depression.
“You just want to train, box, knock guys out, and then you watch everyone else fight, and it’s worse. Honestly, it was a nasty injury, but now I’m healed, and I’m 100% ready”, assures the pride of Hawkesbury, Ontario, now representing Quebec and Montreal, where he trains.
“Becoming a Man”
After a challenging 2022, “AMD” had bounced back with his two best career performances in February and June last year. Wanting to pick up where he left off, he claims not to be the same boxer or person who had offered inconsistent performances two years ago.
“It’s about becoming a man. It was time to make tougher decisions, to realize where I was to go where I wanted to be,” he analyzes, reflecting on the journey.
“The year before, mentally, I wasn’t there at all. That’s life; things happen: your coach decides it’s not working anymore, your girlfriend leaves you, your parents separate, and you struggle to get by… But at some point, either you decide to stay on the same path, and it ends badly, or you put on your pants and do what you have to do to make it work,” recounts the 22-year-old who chose the latter option, wanting to prove to the world that he has what it takes to reach the top.
On the Same Page
One of the alarm bells signaling the need for this fresh start was his separation from his longtime coach, Jessy Ross Thompson, whom he considered a second father. With a few weeks to prepare for his fight last February, he contacted his good friend Lentz Lundy, a boxer turned coach, with whom the professional relationship immediately clicked.
“Lentz and I, it’s solid. We have good chemistry, think alike, knew each other quite well before, but now, we’re a crazy team,” testifies the right-handed prospect in the super-featherweight division (130 pounds).
The Mystery of the Future
Everything seems in place for “The Future” to live up to his nickname. Ironically, a nickname with an uncertain future.
“When I was young, they called Butler ‘The Future,’ and I told myself that one day I would steal that name. So when I turned pro, the only thing I could think of was that,” he reminisces, laughing, as Steven Butler had left the door wide open for him by adopting the nickname ‘Bang Bang’ a few years earlier.
“Eventually, I’d like the fans to come up with another one for me,” admits the fighter who first wants to take the first steps by delivering a great performance to the fans, facing an ‘Furia’ Adorno as undefeated as mysterious.
“I haven’t found any videos of him, so we know nothing about this guy, but when the bell rings, we’ll ‘figure’ him out together,” he promises, ready for whatever the Tabasco native can offer him on January 25th.
