This past weekend’s main event at the Olympia Theatre in Montreal, Québec featuring David Lemieux and James De La Rosa was cancelled after Lemieux came in overweight during the official weigh-in. That didn’t stop Eye of the Tiger Management of going forward with the rest of the card. The night instead became a showcase for up and coming prospects with Steven Butler claiming a minor title, while Schiller Hyppolite survived the king of gatekeepers, Darnell Boone.
The fight of the night belongs to Schiller Hyppolite who faced off against the gatekeeper of all gatekeepers Darnell Boone. Boone is best known for knocking out Adonis Stevenson, knocking down Andre Ward, and giving hell to Sergey Kovalev in their first of two bouts, and should never be counted out, despite his woeful record. On Saturday night, Boone fulfilled his duties as a spoiler when he dragged Hyppolite into war. Hyppolite stayed active, landing flashy combinations and good right hands to begin the fight. Just before the bell in the fifth round, we witnessed a double knockdown as both fighters connected following an exchange. Boone sprung on his feet right away, but Hyppolite struggled to get up, visibly hurt from the punch. Hyppolite survived and weathered the storm in the sixth round as he recouped from a second knockdown when the referee gave him a standing eight count as he staggered to the ropes. Fully recovered by the seventh, Hyppolite resumed his boxing and outworked Boone down the stretch, earning a unanimous decision after 10 rounds.
In the main event, Steven Butler, claimed a minor Youth IBF title with a third round TKO over overmatched Sladjan Janjanin. From the opening Bell, Butler took the initiative and hit his opponents with power shots and took over the fight. By the third round, the referee had seen enough and stopped the bout to give Butler the win.
The opening match disappointed as the young Kazakh hopeful, Batyr Jukembayev’s pro debut was cut short a minute into the first round because of an injury to his opponent. Under the guidance of Stéphane Larouche, Jukembayev will have to be patient as he waits to notch his first official win on his record.
Underdog’s own and Québec prospect Mathieu Germain and heavyweight Simon Kean, each scored a win. Germain displayed excellent skills as he faced Mexico’s Noel Mejia Rincon. With workman like activity, fast hands, and decent power, Germain overwhelmed his opponent with a beautiful mix of combinations to the body and head. A crushing body shot sent Rincon to the canvas in the sixth and final round but he beat the count as Germain went on to claim a decision win. Simon Kean, on hist part, improved his record to 4-0 (4 Kos) when he put away his opponent in the second round via TKO.
The Hussain brothers, Ayaz and Mian continue to dominate as they scored a TKO and decision win respectively. The younger Ayaz, punished his opponent in two quick rounds. Landing thudding overhand rights, his opponent was knocked down in the second round and despite beating the count, the referee halted the bout as he was unsteady legs. Following this performance, it was Mian’s turn to dominate his opponent. After six rounds of action he came away with a decision win in match where he knocked his opponent down three times en route to a landslide win on the cards In the end, it was good night for the Eye of the Tiger fighters who all claimed wins. We expect more cards coming from the group for the rest of the year as their prospects continue to rise and we can expect to see Hyppolite, Butler, and Lemieux in a major match as we wait for them to step up in class.
The fight of the night belongs to Schiller Hyppolite who faced off against the gatekeeper of all gatekeepers Darnell Boone. Boone is best known for knocking out Adonis Stevenson, knocking down Andre Ward, and giving hell to Sergey Kovalev in their first of two bouts, and should never be counted out, despite his woeful record. On Saturday night, Boone fulfilled his duties as a spoiler when he dragged Hyppolite into war. Hyppolite stayed active, landing flashy combinations and good right hands to begin the fight. Just before the bell in the fifth round, we witnessed a double knockdown as both fighters connected following an exchange. Boone sprung on his feet right away, but Hyppolite struggled to get up, visibly hurt from the punch. Hyppolite survived and weathered the storm in the sixth round as he recouped from a second knockdown when the referee gave him a standing eight count as he staggered to the ropes. Fully recovered by the seventh, Hyppolite resumed his boxing and outworked Boone down the stretch, earning a unanimous decision after 10 rounds.
In the main event, Steven Butler, claimed a minor Youth IBF title with a third round TKO over overmatched Sladjan Janjanin. From the opening Bell, Butler took the initiative and hit his opponents with power shots and took over the fight. By the third round, the referee had seen enough and stopped the bout to give Butler the win.
The opening match disappointed as the young Kazakh hopeful, Batyr Jukembayev’s pro debut was cut short a minute into the first round because of an injury to his opponent. Under the guidance of Stéphane Larouche, Jukembayev will have to be patient as he waits to notch his first official win on his record.
Underdog’s own and Québec prospect Mathieu Germain and heavyweight Simon Kean, each scored a win. Germain displayed excellent skills as he faced Mexico’s Noel Mejia Rincon. With workman like activity, fast hands, and decent power, Germain overwhelmed his opponent with a beautiful mix of combinations to the body and head. A crushing body shot sent Rincon to the canvas in the sixth and final round but he beat the count as Germain went on to claim a decision win. Simon Kean, on hist part, improved his record to 4-0 (4 Kos) when he put away his opponent in the second round via TKO.
The Hussain brothers, Ayaz and Mian continue to dominate as they scored a TKO and decision win respectively. The younger Ayaz, punished his opponent in two quick rounds. Landing thudding overhand rights, his opponent was knocked down in the second round and despite beating the count, the referee halted the bout as he was unsteady legs. Following this performance, it was Mian’s turn to dominate his opponent. After six rounds of action he came away with a decision win in match where he knocked his opponent down three times en route to a landslide win on the cards In the end, it was good night for the Eye of the Tiger fighters who all claimed wins. We expect more cards coming from the group for the rest of the year as their prospects continue to rise and we can expect to see Hyppolite, Butler, and Lemieux in a major match as we wait for them to step up in class.