![]() Unfortunately, that doesn't sell fights, especially in the increasingly convoluted boxing world where titles and title pictures are more abundant and difficult to understand.īoxing marketing is at its best, and its worst, when it preys upon the racial, ethnic, national and regional tensions of the viewing audience. Riots don't normally happen in boxing, but it maintains the unique ability to make one happen in the right circumstances.įor the most part, boxing matches take place between two men or women who have very little to do with one another, and little reason to hate one another beyond the fact that they have a mutual goal of advancing their careers and, as such, are obstacles for one another. Suddenly, there was presumably a portion of the crowd emboldened by the idea of an English-speaking fighter from Ontario coming to Quebec and trying to beat up one of their own. It had gone beyond the playful provincial rivalry between two fighters who had no personal reason to hate one another, to something much larger. However premeditated it was, the storyline of the bout was as on the nose as it could get. Today, it remains a symbol for fervent Quebec separatists. In addition to the fleur-de-lis, one of the members of Butler's entourage also wielded the Patriote Flag, an antiquated flag from 1832, used by the Patriote movement in Lower Canada. When Butler emerged through the curtain to enter the arena, whatever tensions were created were amplified even more. Opposing them was a small but vocal crowd of Cook supporters from Southern Ontario, many of whom had crammed into chartered buses to make the six-hour trip to the event. The crowd had turned into a sea of fleur-de-lis, as event organizers handed out Quebec flags to anyone who wanted to wave them. Though the monstrous Bell Centre had been scaled down to a little under half the arena, the electricity inside rivalled that of true mega fights the venue had hosted in recent years, such as Jean Pascal-Lucian Bute and Pascal-Bernard Hopkins. Butler, meanwhile, had received significant media attention, had fought on Canadian pay-per-view several times before, and had received a sign of approval from boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya himself. So while Cook was defeating credible opposition, hardly anyone outside of those in attendance at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, ever noticed. While Quebec remains one of the most boxing-rabid areas of the world with regular events and an interested press corps, boxing in Ontario has been swimming upstream for quite some time. Much of that had to do with pure name recognition. READ MORE: How Montreal's Dark Side Shaped Tough-As-Nails Boxing Ref Michael GriffinĬook, a native of Ajax, Ontario, was a significant underdog heading into the fight, with most Vegas moneylines pegging Butler as a -480 favourite. What it was, according to many pundits, was a great-looking victory for Butler waiting to happen, on home soil at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. In modern boxing, matchups like it are a rarity, as promoters seldom risk a fighter in such a position unless there is either a world title, or a guaranteed world title shot on the line. It pitted a pair of young, undefeated fighters, both of whom were already rated in the top 10 in different sanctioning bodies in their weight class. The night's main event between junior middleweights Steven Butler and Brandon Cook was an intriguing one for Canadian fans. Then, when a metal bucket with another champagne bottle still in it struck one of the fighters in the head and he collapsed to the canvas, I knew I was in one. 28, 2017, after nearly a decade as a boxing commentator, I suspected I was about to call my very first riot. Joshua, conversely, came in four and a half pounds heavier, seemingly confirming reports that he will be relying on his weight and size to win tonight’s fight.As the bottle scuttled into the ring, followed by a cascade of cups and trash, I realized that on Jan. In yesterday’s weigh-in ahead of the fight, Usyk came in lighter than was expected, at 221.5 pounds, versus Joshua’s 244.5 pounds.įootage released by Usyk’s team ahead of the fight showing the Ukrainian in training suggested he might be considerably heavier than the last fight, as experts commented that he was looking bulkier, but in the end he was only half a pound heavier.Ĭommenting on the weigh-in, the defending heavyweight champion said: “Your expectation is not every time met.” ![]()
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