Photo: Vincent Ethier – After over nine months out of the ring due to a foot injury, the ‘Ghost’ Thomas Chabot is ready to return to haunt the Montreal Casino on March 7th.
“I’ve had a lot of time out of the gym, a lot of time for myself. I needed it after two big battles, but now it’s more than time for me to come back into the ring,” expresses the pride of Thetford Mines, boasting a record of 9-0, including 7 KOs and 2 others action packed fights.
In pursuit of a 10th victory, he is expected to face Mexican Jose Armando Valdes Bernal (12-10-1, 5 KOs), or simply ‘El Pamba’. According to him, it’s the same opponent he was supposed to face on February 23rd in Victoriaville. The contract is not yet signed, but what is certain is that he will have eight rounds to show the adjustments made with Jessy Ross Thompson, in his corner for a year, taking over from Vincent Auclair who took the reins of the national team.
“I think we’ll see a Thomas Chabot who is offensive, aggressive, and spectacular, as usual, but smarter and more aware of what he’s doing in the ring,” describes the super featherweight prospect.
Taking the time
In his last fight, last June, he admits that his victory by majority decision against Luis Bolanos Lopez left him with a bitter taste.
“I was only thinking about offense and I kind of put everything else aside. It created a sort of vicious circle with accumulated fatigue, and I got a bit lost in it.”
So even ghosts are sometimes human.
As early as January 2020, the now 24-year-old athlete turned professional, shortly after celebrating his 20th birthday. He fought in Montreal, Rimouski, Shawinigan, and even Cuernavaca (Mexico), because, let’s remember, there was a global pandemic from his 3rd fight. The Quebec puncher went from four-round fights to six, to eight rounds in less than 10 fights, before fatigue and injuries finally surfaced.
“I trained hard all that time, and it may have been a little mistake on my part, because at times, I should have relaxed a bit. It’s part of me, to push the machine all year round, but it’s clear that I’ve learned from it.”
Meanwhile
As he noted, Chabot is used to going full throttle, and apparently, his entourage is not used to the opposite. Last November, after he put up for sale some of his old equipment, some even asked him if he would ever put on the gloves again.
“Just to let you know that I still box and I’ll be back early 2024,” he had reminded on Facebook.
In addition to tidying up his belongings, during his recovery, he also had more time to offer his barber services. It’s worth a visit in the Laval area, apparently, even Artur Beterbiev trusts him. However, don’t expect great availability in the coming weeks, and we all know why…
The ‘Ghost’ is back in the gym and soon in the ring, on March 7th.
