During the 2000s in particular, the province of Quebec in Canada produced some of the most electric atmospheres on the global boxing scene. The province has been fight-crazed since the 1900s, but an influx of world-level talent and North American broadcast distribution in particular created a shining golden era for the sport in Canada. Jean Pascal, Lucian Bute, Adonis Stevenson and David Lemieux arrived with significant fanbases capable of filling NHL hockey arenas, and climbed to the top of their respective divisions and became fixtures on HBO and Showtime. Those filling the seats in those arenas were educated boxing fans also fuelled by fierce provincial and French pride. Pascal-Hopkins, Bute-Andrade, Lemieux-N’Dam and more were among the most engaged crowds boxing viewers saw on television in some time.
These days, Artur Beterbiev is the flag-bearer for Quebec boxing, the light heavyweight champion born in Russia, who like Bute and others before him, became immediately adopted by the Canadian audience upon his move to the country. But although Beterbiev is a lead topic on French Canadian SportsCentre and Page 1A news of the sports section in Quebec newspapers (where boxing beat writers are still employed, a rarity in today’s media climate), he hasn’t yet had the true big-fight bonanza in Canada the way his predecessors did. Beterbiev’s early development as a pro happened on their undercards, and save for an early-pandemic title defense against Marcus Browne, his biggest career moments have taken place outside of Canada.
Beterbiev will have his coronation, so to speak, this weekend in Quebec City when he defends his title against Callum Smith at the Videotron Centre in an event promoted by Eye of the Tiger and aired on ESPN.
As a boxing marketplace, Quebec has continued to thrive since the stars of the previous era have either retired or faded. Eye of the Tiger in particular is on a double-digit streak of sellout events at the Montreal Casino, building a host of contenders such as Christian Mbilli, Erik Bazinyan, Mary Spencer, Leila Beaudoin and more. It’s been a process of both waiting for the right headliner and the appropriate amount of talent to fill out a major broadcast undercard, building towards a gala of this magnitude once again. In November, Le Journal de Montreal declared it the biggest card in Quebec “in a long time.”
“We are very grateful and proud that Quebecers responded in such large numbers, which proves that Quebec is (up there with) the biggest boxing cities around the world,” said promoter Camille Estephan.
The announcement of the event last year (the bout was ultimately postponed due to an infection in Beterbiev’s jaw) came as somewhat of a surprise to Quebec media members, many of whom expected a Beterbiev-Smith bout to head to the United Kingdom, which undoubtedly would have produced a heary crowd of its own, as evidenced by the atmosphere for Beterbiev’s most recent title defense against Anthony Yarde at Wembley Arena
“When I went to London for Beterbiev versus Yarde, I spoke to everyone who mattered. Bob Arum, Brad Jacobs, Carl Moretti and especially lawyer Jeremy Koegel. I let them know that I was interested in presenting the upcoming defense of Artur Beterbiev. In addition, we are partners with Top Rank for Arslanbek Makhmudov and Simon Kean and we have a contract with ESPN+. We know each other and we trust each other,” Estephan told Rejean Tremblay of Le Journal de Montreal.
Ultimately, the intention is for the bout to set up the biggest in Beterbiev’s career, a reignition of an amateur rivalry with fellow light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol, in Saudi Arabia. The two are rumored to have agreed upon a bout that would put to an end years of circling one another, and debate over who is truly the best 175-pounder on the planet.
Those are plans that Smith is interested in spoiling—and to a certain degree, is bothered by their existence at all.
“It is a little disrespectful when there are people in boxing posting (about Beterbiev facing Bivol), and I’m due to fight him in January,” Smith said to Boxing Social. “I’m confident in my own ability, and I feel I can beat him when I’m at my best. I believe the best version of me beats anyone in the world. In my eyes, it’ll be me (beating) Beterbiev and then me against Bivol after that.”
For his part, Beterbiev has resisted even the cursory promise of victory over Smith. In a recent interview with FightHype’s Sean Zittel, Beterbiev said “I didn’t tell you I was going to win this fight,” before adding, “I mean, I will try to win this fight for sure.”
In the meantime, Beterbiev will now play the role that Pascal, Bute, Stevenson and Lemieux did for him in the past, providing a platform for the next generation of potential stars. Mbilli and Beaudoin in particular will be featured on the undercard, with Mbilli likely being the Quebec-based fighter held in the highest regard on the global scene aside from Beterbiev at the moment. The hard-charging super middleweight, who will take on Rohan Murdock, has a made-for-TV approach that has already produced Knockout of the Year contenders such as his starching of Nadjib Mohammedi in 2022, and Fight of the Year contenders such as his battle with Carlos Gongora last year.
“Rohan Murdock is a quality opponent who has a style that is completely different from my previous opponents,” said Mbilli in a recent French press release. “This is a great opportunity for me to make new fans on my way to becoming a world champion.”
The plans for future titles and fights are up in the air, of course, but the event itself is certain to be a celebration of an era of Canadian boxing, and a lens into its future.