Décarie faces his biggest challenge
LAVAL WELTERWEIGHT set to challenge for World Boxing Council Silver title in Argentina
The walls of the northend gymnasium that’s home to Groupe Yvon Michel’s stable of pugilists, predictably, are littered with boxing posters of most everyone who has fought for the Montreal promoter. But you have to look long and hard to find anything sporting the name of Antonin Décarie.
“That’s true,” the Laval welterweight said, laughing, on Wednesday morning. “But this is finally my time to shine. I’m counting on it.”
Long overshadowed on the Montreal fight scene by Jean Pascal, Lucian Bute, Adonis Stevenson and even David Lemieux, Décarie, a 30-year-old welterweight from Laval, is facing his biggest challenge this month.
Décarie, 27-1 with eight knockouts, meets Luis Carlos Abregu (34-1 with 28 KOs) on April 27 for the vacant World Boxing Council Silver 147-pound title in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The 12-round bout, to be televised in the U.S. by HBO, is the co-feature on the undercard of middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, who meets Martin Murray.
Décarie, ranked fifth by the WBC and 15th by the World Boxing Association, got into this position with an impressive sixth-round technical knockout win last September against undefeated Alex Perez for the vacant North American title. That fight was on HBO’s Boxing After Dark series.
A victory over Abregu would vault Décarie’s marketability south of the border. And, while the Quebecer’s on a four-bout winning streak, this undoubtedly marks his biggest challenge. Abregu will be fighting at home, in an open-air stadium where, already, more than 40,000 tickets have been sold. Known for his power punching, Abregu has stopped his last five opponents.
“I know I have the tools to beat that guy. Technically, I can definitely beat him,” said Décarie, who leaves for South America on Sunday. “Mentally, I’m there, too. Once the bell rings, it’s him against me. The crowd’s not going to punch me, take the punches for him or give him water. It’s not necessarily going to be easy. Once the fight starts, you don’t hear the screams.
“When I go to sleep, I try to visualize the fight. I have to stay calm and keep my composure. This is an amazing opportunity. This is huge.”
And it should be nothing new for Décarie. In May 2010, he suffered the only loss of his career, dropping a unanimous 12-round decision in France to Souleymane M’baye for the interim WBA title. Décarie said he made mistakes during training, not to mention the 36 minutes inside the ring — but vowed he has learned from the experience.
While Décarie’s not known for his punching prowess, he was virtually flawless against Perez in his only performance of 2012. That night, Décarie landed 66 per cent of his power punches, including a whopping 85 per cent during the decisive sixth round.
“We know the environment’s going to be tough,” said trainer Marc Ramsay. “At one point, it’s about what you want to do with your boxing career. You can just cruise and pretend to everybody you’re a good boxer. You can try and escape good boxers and try to be king by the side door. Or ... push people to the side and make sure the top guys in the division have to deal with you.
“Antonin’s a classic boxer, cerebral and intelligent. It’s going to be a chess game. Antonin’s very good at that.”
While he must be wary of Abregu’s power, and shouldn’t attempt to mix with him, Décarie believes there are things that can be exploited. he said most of Abregu’s effectiveness comes from luring opponents into his trap, then connecting with counter punches.
“I have to make him come after me, make sure he’s not that comfortable,” Décarie explained.
“If I don’t come at him and the fans start booing, he’s going to (feel) the pressure. He’s known as the big puncher, the tough guy. He has to prove something. Then I’ll make him pay.
“He’s the stronger guy. But technically, I’m better. I’ll capitalize on his mistakes because he does make a lot.”
Michel, who will be accompanying Décarie and Ramsay to Argentina this Sunday, admits his guy might not be the betting favourite, but believes Décarie has the mettle to overcome the odds.
“Abregu’s a puncher, but he’s not that skilled,” Michel claimed. “Antonin will never be a power puncher, but hits hard enough for opponents to respect him. I think he’s a better fighter overall and can impose that in the ring. We believe he has the skill, what it takes.” Notes — While preparing Décarie, Ramsay has left the training of Pascal to Montreal veteran Russ Anber. Pascal, preparing for a May 25 Bell Centre bout against Bute, has moved his camp to Las Vegas … Kevin Bizier reportedly has become the new International Boxing Federation mandatory challenger for welterweight champ Devon Alexander. The potential bout, promoted by Golden Boy, would take place May 18 in Atlantic City. Bizier, ranked third by the IBF and sixth by the WBA, also is trained by Ramsay. “We need to assess the overall situation and take a decision accordingly,” Michel told RDS.