Barrière passes first stage of Boxing Canada Olympic qualifiers

By Vincent Morin

Boxing Canada's national Olympic qualifying tournament began Wednesday at the facilities of the Institut National du Sport du Québec (INS) in Montreal.

The Canadian heavyweight champion in professional boxing, Alexis Barrière (11-0, 9 KOs among the pros), won his first duel of the championship, winning by abandonment in the second round against Manitoban David Johnson.

He will face Quebec representative David Ricot on Friday. The latter defeated Ontarian Borna Yazdani by unanimous decision to earn his place in the semi-final against Barrière.