Photo: Vincent Ethier – Throughout a career filled with achievements, without having to claim the heavyweight world title, Simon Kean will forever remain ingrained in the Quebec imagination.
The idea had been wandering in his mind for quite some time but became official on the morning of January 30: at 35 years old, boxer Simon Kean fought his last battle.
Over the years, Punching Grace broadcasted the vast majority of his fights, making it easy to provide you with a summary of his greatest victories and most impactful knockouts. But before the numbers and the belts, the Quebecois’s career was marked by moments of emotion and pride. In this regard, it would be unfair to discuss it without giving the floor to the “Grizzly” himself.
“There are two things that matter when hanging up the gloves: your health and your money, but money doesn’t come without the other. So, at 35, I no longer felt like I had anything to gain by continuing to box, compared to what I had to lose,” confesses the Trifluvian, lucid and peaceful, after a career of 25 fights, including 23 victories, and 22 knockouts.
Victor in life
In the last decade and more, Simon Kean lifted the Quebecois people with his 6’5” stature. In 2012, he gained public recognition by participating in the Olympic Games in London, where he defeated the eventual tournament winner four years later, Frenchman Tony Yoka. But that was just the beginning. By teaming up with Eye of the Tiger, his eternal promoter, he made his professional debut in the fall of 2015, subsequently offering us numerous epic fights.
Among the first that come to mind is his demolition of Adam “The Boogeyman” Braidwood, in a packed Gervais-Auto Center in his native Mauricie, or his triumph in the rematch against Dillon “Big Country” Carman. However, in Simon’s eyes, defeating some of his fiercest competitors was only a bonus compared to what boxing truly brought him.
“Listen, I started boxing for the wrong reasons. I was a bum who just wanted to be an even bigger bum, so I went to the gym to learn how to fight. Eventually, it led me to live, to travel the world, to have a career, and that’s probably what got me off the path I was on,” he recounts, grateful, especially to his coaches; from Jimmy Boisvert, Denis Hince, to Jessy Ross Thompson, his team, his longtime sponsors… and his supporters.
A sincere connection
In the professional ranks, Simon Kean was a regular on big nights. He donned the gloves at the Bell Centre and Centre Vidéotron on numerous occasions. Even in defeat, against former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker, he ended his career in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the scene of one of the most significant boxing cards ever presented. Nevertheless, it may sound cliché, but he never forgot where he came from.
“When I think back to my first [amateur] fights, at the Jean-Guy Talbot Coliseum, everyone from my high school came to cheer me on, it gave me value, and everything started from there. After that, when I fought at the Olympics or against Braidwood, people continued to support me, and in my mind, it was always my high school gang coming to see me at the Coliseum,” recalls the product of the Les Estacades Academy with nostalgia.
“Without them, I couldn’t have done this, as I said, it’s the crowd that made me love boxing, so when a fan stops me on the street, not a groupie, a real fan, who watched my fights, they have all my respect,” testifies the showman, always close to his own.
“Strong since 1989”
And so, modestly, the world contender hangs up his gloves, but as life goes on, for the man behind, retirement has not yet sounded. So we ask you without further ado… do you need a new roof?
The Mauricie giant had placed his cards. By persevering, as he always did in the ring, he obtained his construction contractor’s license. Toitures Simon Kean was thus born, with a roof and Olympic rings as a logo, accompanied by the slogan: “Strong since 1989.”
“Roofing is a bit like boxing. There are no miracles, but if you have character and work hard, you can succeed,” concludes the entrepreneur, swapping gloves for a hammer, while retaining the ambition and determination of the “Grizzly.”
