Photo: Vincent Ethier – Can Shakeel Phinn pull off the upset on April 11th?
‘He hits so hard that he leaves no marks,’ once said Bernard Barré.
The story goes that one January evening, a grand dinner was organized in Quebec with some notable guests, including Camille Estephan and Eddie Hearn. According to what Antonin Décarie recounted on the podcast Le Dernier Round by my friends Russ Anber and Matt Casavant, the Matchroom boss explained to those present that the bulk of his business is done in England with local fights that fill arenas.
It seems this did not fall on deaf ears; we had Ziyatdinov/Ramirez, a Volny/Butler bout is in the works, and the next EOTTM gala brings us a delightful local clash:
Shakeel Phinn against Erik Bazinyan.
The fight came together like a charm; the two boxers will face off on April 11th. On one hand, Erik Bazinyan (32-0, 23 KOs) is ranked in all organizations. He doesn’t have the luxury of losing… he doesn’t even have the luxury of looking bad or not being extraordinary. On the other corner stands Shakeel Phinn (26-3-1, 17 KOs), the strongest 168-pound man you’ll ever meet, built like a rhinoceros. As I will present Erik Bazinyan in a very good text that will be in the program handed to the public… here’s the backstory of Shakeel Phinn.
Who is he?
Shak’s father is named Benjamin, a former amateur boxer who is probably the most muscular man on the South Shore of Montreal. Shak, in his youth, broke all records as a running back at Champlain College in Longueuil. He joined the oneXone gym in the same city to stay in shape and work on his footwork.
He would never leave the boxing gym again.
With his first amateur fight at 21… he’s an elite athlete, but not necessarily a lifelong boxer. Here’s what his coach Ian Mackillop had to say to me.
“People forget that Shakeel only started boxing at 19. He had a very short amateur career and learned on the job as a professional. He’s finally at a point where his physical talent and experience come together. I think at this stage of his career, Shakeel is at his best. I have a lot of respect for Erik, but he won’t be able to handle Shak’s physical strength and punching power for 10 rounds,” asserts the Canadian boxing legend.
Let’s talk matchmaking
I won’t lie to you; for Erik Bazinyan, this fight can resemble a terrible Thursday night nightmare. He must win at all costs and do so without any ambiguity to look good for the division’s bigwigs and not fall too far behind in Eye of the Tiger’s hierarchy, which already includes Christian Mbilli and Osleys Iglesias.
For Phinn, this is the shortcut and the chance he’s been waiting for all his life; with a single punch, he can earn rankings in four associations, future big paydays, glory, and – why not? – fights against Mbilli and Iglesias. Moreover, the small casino ring is tailor-made for his physical strength and power.
In essence, everything I love about boxing is present in this matchup. One boxer could see 10 years of his life crumble with a single blow, and the other could end up with a winning lottery ticket.
The stakes are enormous, and the atmosphere will be tense at the Montreal Casino. I recommend watching it on Punching Grace…
At least you can lower the volume if it gets too stressful.
Also about Shakeel Phinn:
BAZINYAN VS. PHINN: BETWEEN BRAGGING RIGHTS AND WORLD TITLE ASPIRATIONS
