Marie-Pier Houle Suffers Heartbreaking Defeat

By William Dumoulin

More than two years after her first world title shot against Sandy Ryan, Quebec’s Marie-Pier Houle (11-2-2, 3 KOs) once again found herself on the international stage, this time against Puerto Rico’s Stephanie Pineiro (9-0, 3 KOs) for the WBA interim welterweight championship.

From the opening bell, the southpaw Pineiro came out aggressively against Houle. Things quickly unraveled in the second round when the referee stopped the fight after the Quebec native absorbed a series of heavy shots. With that, Houle saw the WBA interim belt slip away.

Now 35 years old and with a second world title loss on her record, questions loom about what comes next for Houle. Her promoter, Yvon Michel, insists the door remains open for her future if she chooses to continue:

“Marie-Pier is fortunate to have a strong support system, with her manager Yves Lévesque and numerous sponsors. I’m confident this team will help her put things in perspective and support her in overcoming this temporary setback. When she’s ready and eager to move forward, GYM will always have a place for her!”