Photo: Vincent Ethier – Some victories will take place outside the ring in 2024.
The year 2023 in Quebec has taught me many things and made me realize many others. Some have suffered defeat, others seem stuck in inactivity, and there are retired boxers who are slow to make their announcement.
If I were cunning and sought to create controversy, I would say that 2023 is the year when EOTTM and its boss, Camille Estephan, became the number one group in Canada and a major force internationally.
At Groupe Gym
Yvon Michel Group: Kim Clavel and her 2 defeats. This is my standout event in 2023: Clavel suffered defeat twice in unified championship fights. While it’s commendable on one side that Yvon Michel consistently found world championship fights for Kim Clavel, there’s concern about having placed all their eggs in the Clavel basket. She seems to have taken the defeat and her team’s actions toward the RACJ very badly, and this will likely have consequences that won’t motivate her, quite the opposite. I’m very worried.
Marie-Ève Dicaire is Quebec’s youngest retiree. She and Barry Sanders, 29 with the Detroit Lions, managed to retire at their peak. I continue to believe that MED could prevail against Hannah Rankin or Ema Kozin… why not a third reign?
Marie-Pier Houle looked good against Sandy Ryan. The absence of successors at Groupe Gym will push her into a main event near you at the Casino. I hope you like the sound of slot machines… 94% of the events in 2024 will take place at the gambling temple. Mathieu Germain and Mazlum Akdeniz will possibly face each other, and the winner will see their contract extended.
Goal for Groupe Gym in 2024: update their list of boxers on the website and increase the number of signed and active boxers in their stable to over 5. The two Colombians are shrouded in mystery regarding their retirement…
The newcomers
Douggy Berneche and Canada Fighting: Simply stay active and organize more fights with boxers accumulating wins. Having a fourth promoter isn’t a bad idea to keep more people active.
Yan Pellerin and New Era Promotion: Alexis Barrière doesn’t fit this name well… he’s been kicking doors down since the start of his career. New Era must establish him as an iconic figure in the company and introduce him to the people of Quebec. Alexis is handsome, strong, muscular, and talented. With 3-4 wins, why not an Olympic medal for the Johannais? Pellerin should also keep an eye on Francis Lafrenière, who spends too much time in the gym not to consider a comeback. Bouchard vs Poulin is a great idea… This Yan Pellerin has plenty of good ideas. With a bit of rhythm and consistency, he’ll become the second most important promoter in Canada in 2024.
Movement within the Tigers
EOTTM: I’m impressed by the recruitment done by our Tigers, Albert Ramirez, Osleys Iglesias, Iman Khataev, we’re getting finished products ready to knock on the door of the rankings.
Now… EOTTM has no difficulty ranking its boxers, it does it repeatedly. The only hitch: finding opponents who are unavoidable… Who will be the next Carlos Góngora for one of our 168-pound fighters? How to position Makhmudov/M’Billi/Bazynian as mandatory challengers? Where to find an opponent for Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse? How to send Mary Spencer into a world championship without Femke Hermans being the opponent? Who are the top 10 in the same weight division to face Steve Claggett? EOTTM has a foot in the door in several cases… will they manage to break in?
I would also like EOTTM to start visiting regions again in search of another venue besides the Casino. It’s hard to build a boxing audience when all our events are presented at the Casino.
Elsewhere in the country
Canada Tour: Shakeel Phinn seems to be enjoying himself in Ontario. Patrice Volny? Does anyone have a plan in his team? He’s so inactive that he doesn’t need to file his taxes every other year. Artur Biyarslanov will get a world championship fight in 2024. Martine Vallières-Bisson will defeat cancer and 2 opponents. Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will face off thanks to Saudi Arabia. Happy New Year 2024.
