Quebecois hero Thomas Chabot aims to steal the show in Quebec City

In this boxing event this Saturday in Quebec City, there will be fights from all over the world, boxers from faraway places in Germany, Argentina and the United States will show their skills at the Center Videotron. Another fighter who lives a car away is looking to steal the show.

Thomas Chabot, a featherweight prospect from 90 minutes in Thetford Mines, Quebec, may compete early on the undercard of Christian Mbilli-Sergiy Derevyanchenko, but the 24-year-old has a style that is guaranteed to leave an impression. viewers.

Chabot (10-0, 8 knockouts) will face Matias Ezequiel Guenemil (10-3-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-round bout that will be featured on the ESPN+ portion of the broadcast. Chabot is familiar with his Argentine opponent, having seen him two years ago when he faced fellow Avery-based Martin Duval, who is also signed to Eye of the Tiger Management.

“I'm coming to Quebec to steal the show for sure. I'm waiting [Guenemil] to come and bring the fight to the ring,” said Chabot. “My opponent fought Duval and it was a close decision so I expect a tough fight.”

Although Chabot likes to fight, he has a boxer's pedigree.

Photo by Vincent Ethier/EOTTM©2020

Chabot competed 88 times as a freshman, losing 14 times and winning four Canadian national titles. He also represented Canada internationally at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas.

He started boxing at the age of 11 when, at a young age playing in the national hockey game, he realized that he was better suited to follow in his father's footsteps and become a boxer.

“Then I thought, I'm lonely, I'm more focused on individual sports, that's why I started boxing. It was a great fit for my personality,” said the French-speaking Chabot, who shares a name with the Ottawa Senators defenseman.

Thetford Mines, with a population of about 26,000, was well known as the “Asbestos Capital of the World” before health risks led to the banning of the mineral for indoor insulation use. What is not known for it is the abundance of sparring partners. Chabot found himself having to leave older men at a young age, and by the time he was 16 or 17, he thought he had grown up. He moved with his mother to Montreal to continue his boxing career.

Growing up, his favorite boxers included fellow Quebecois brawler Arturo Gatti and Lucian Bute, the Romanian-Canadian lefty who engaged in many memorable fights in Montreal and Quebec City at the turn of the century. He also had a soft spot for Manny Pacquiao, who was always happy to exchange punches and toes.

Those fighters helped make him the blood-and-guts fighter he is now, though he admits he's still working on transitioning his style from the punch-in-bunches techniques of novice boxing to the moderate pace of professional boxing.

“I have always been an attacking person, I always come to attack. What has been difficult for me is that I have to be patient and choose my punches instead of just throwing and throwing, I have to lower the punch and go with the level of the punches,” said Chabot, who is trained to be beaten. by Lazlo Marien and François Duguay in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, just north of the US border.

(OBJECTIVE: Boxing nears another Golden Age in Quebec)

So far, there have been a lot of fights in his fights, which is good for boxing fans but may worry his supporters. Chabot has been knocked down at least three times so far in his debut career, including his second fight in February of 2020 against Luz Marcos Garcia, who put Chabot down by stoppage within the first 84 seconds. Chabot also touched the canvas twice in his fight against Jonathan Baranda in December 2022, only to get up from the canvas for a close but unanimous decision.

Chabot's last fight was in May, where he knocked out 6-1-1 Alfredo Jimenez Espino in five rounds.

He may be known as “The Ghost,” but Chabot has so far been invisible to his opponents. However, he has shown flashes of technical ability, such as in his second round stoppage of Maximino Toala in 2022, when he used his footwork and jab to maintain his striking position and prevent Toala from tying himself up while injured, leading to a stoppage.

Chabot's other strengths include a powerful body attack, which knocked out Armando Ramirez in two rounds when they fought in September of 2022, and a work rate that few can match.

Promoter Camille Estephan of Eye of the Tiger Management says the hope is that Chabot, who turned pro just after his 20th birthday in 2020, will continue to mature physically as he enters his mid-20s. One thing Estephan doesn't have to worry about is people wanting their money back after a fight.

“He has incredible endurance and resilience. He is an attacking fighter so he takes a lot of risks and chances, the crowd loves him because he is Fight of the Night almost every time he fights. Blood, guts and fame,” said Estephan, who is coordinating Saturday's event with Top Rank.

Estephan added that the plan is for Chabot to fight for one eight-round belt after this, and then start promoting him to ten-round fights and regional titles.

Chabot admits he has a lot to work on, and will have a chance to show his growth against Guenemil, a 30-year-old from Buenos Aires, Argentina who has not been stopped in 14 fights.

“I know it's obvious that I can fight on ESPN so I want to show well. It's also a great opportunity to show what Thetford Mines boxing and Quebec boxing is all about. I want to give my all because I know the opportunity that is waiting for me to raise my work to the next level,” said Chabot.

“My dream is to become a world champion but I know I have to be patient. There are things I need to improve before I get there. I believe I will get there.”

The Mbilli-Derevyanchenko and Arslanbek Makhmudov-Guido Vianello fights will air live on ESPN, starting at 10 pm ET, with the undercard showing on ESPN+, starting at 5 pm.

Ryan Songalia has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler and The Guardian, and is part of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism Class of 2020. He can be reached at [email protected].