Gambling on fight nights
Casino de Montréal back in the spotlight as pro boxing returns
When boxing promoter Yvon Michel signed Custio Clayton to a three-year contract in November 2014, he called him the best Canadian amateur of his era.
So now, with Thursday’s announcement of pro boxing returning to the Casino de Montréal, it seems only natural Clayton should become a regular in the promoter’s series.
The 28-year-old welterweight, originally from Dartmouth, N.S., will fight his first 10-round main event Jan. 21, against an opponent to be determined, when Michel stages his first Casino card in five years at the Cabaret, which had to be closed for renovations.
“They have a plan and I’m here to fight. I’m willing to step up and take the challenge,” said the personable Clayton, who’s undefeated in five bouts, including four knockouts.
Just last Saturday at the Centre Vidéotron in Quebec, Clayton scored a technical knockout at 1:20 of the second round against Mexico’s Ivan Pereyra, a veteran of 25 bouts and 118 rounds. Clayton dropped the 26-year-old southpaw at the end of the first round, twice more in the second round.
The preliminary bout was on the undercard of the 12-round main event between James DeGale and Lucian Bute.
“No matter who my opponent is, I’ll be ready to put on a good show,” said Clayton, who anticipates a busy year ahead.
When Michel signed the prospect, he stated the boxer would be fast-tracked to try to reach the top 10 in world rankings within 18 months, with the hope of having Clayton fight for a world title before he turns 30.
Clayton, a six-time Canadian amateur champ, turned pro after reaching the quarterfinals of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Two years earlier, he was one of only two Canadian males to qualify for the London Olympics. He won two bouts before losing to Britain’s Fred Evans in the quarterfinals.
The decision was controversial. Clayton and Evans actually fought to a 14-14 draw, but the Canadian lost on the recount. That’s when the scores of all five ringside judges count instead of the middle three. Canada filed a protest, which was rejected — unfortunate considering, with one more point, Clayton would have qualified for a medal.
Michel, who was unable to attend Thursday due to a family matter, presented 45 shows from 2004 to 2010, using the series primarily to showcase the province’s rising stars. Former World Boxing Organization middleweight champ Otis Grant once fought at the Casino, losing a World Boxing Council title-eliminator in 2006 against Librado Andrade.
Other boxers who figured prominently in the series were Bute, Adrian Diaconu, Leonard Dorin, Joachim Alcine, Adonis Stevenson, Jean Pascal and Hermann Ngoudjo. Stevenson holds the WBC lightheavyweight title, while Bute, Alcine, Diaconu and Pascal are all former champs.
The Cabaret provides an intimate setting, with 600-700 seats available. While Michel formerly staged his shows primarily on Saturday afternoons, Thursday evenings will become the night of choice. His first three cards are scheduled for Jan. 21, March 17 and May 12. He hopes to stage shows every two months.
Michel’s first card features nine bouts, including a 10-round Canadian heavyweight showdown between champion Dillon Carman (9-2, eight KOs) and Longueuil’s Eric Barrak (8-3, seven KOs).
Carman, from Mississauga, Ont., is coming off a third-round knockout victory against former worldtitle challenger Donovan Ruddock, 51, last September at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. Ruddock recently complained that Carman used illegal tactics during the bout.
Barrak lost a six-round majority decision to Ruddock last May in StJean-sur-Richelieu.
Meanwhile, Bute, who attended Thursday’s news conference, said he hopes to return to the ring in March or April. The 35-yearold veteran hopes to sign for a title eliminator or meet someone ranked in the top 10 of the supermiddleweight division.
Although Bute lost a unanimous 12-round decision to International Boxing Federation 168-pound champ DeGale, the challenger looked impressive enough to continue his comeback attempt. He showed vast improvement under trainers Howard and Otis Grant, and believes the bout was closer than the final scores indicated — two judges scoring the fight 117111.
“It was a close fight ... a good fight. In my opinion, the fight was very close. I respect the judges’ decision. It was like 7-5 (in rounds). I’m very surprised and disappointed about the two judges who scored the first 117-111,” he said. “I think it was closer than that.
“I’m happy with my experience. If I lost the fight, I’m the winner. I got my confidence back. Everything was great. We have some big opportunities that could come up next year.”