Volny Wins the Local War - Summaryof the night

By William Dumoulin

Photo Credit: Vincent Ethier – Eye of the Tiger

After a spectacular performance where Butler knocked out Steve Rolls in the first round, the Quebecois slugger faced another local rival this Thursday at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal. He was up against the talented Patrice Volny in a 100% Quebecois duel. Here’s a summary of the event.

As previously mentioned, for the main event of the evening, Steven “Bang Bang” Butler (34-5-1, 28 KOs) faced Patrice “Vicious” Volny (19-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round bout for the WBC Francophone Middleweight Championship. From the beginning of the fight, exchanges occurred in close quarters. As usual, Volny maintained a tight defense and looked to counterattack. In the 4th round, Volny managed to stagger Butler with solid power punches. It was at this precise moment that Volny began to take control over Steven, as the fight had been quite close up to that point. In the 9th round, Volny managed to finish the job when the referee decided to stop the fight as Butler was no longer responding to his opponent's power punches. Butler was not at all satisfied with the official's decision.

A rematch is not ruled out from either side, but the winner seemed more inclined to move to the international level in his next fight.

For the co-main event of the evening, the dangerous Cuban Osleys Iglesias (11-0, 10 KOs) defended his IBO Super Middleweight Championship against Evgeny Shvedenko (16-2, 7 KOs) in a 12-round fight. It was expected that this fight would allow Iglesias to get some rounds in, but as in his last fight, the Cuban delivered a devastating KO to his opponent in the first round with a big left hook. We then witnessed a worrying scene as Shvedenko struggled to get up after this vicious KO.

We must start placing the Cuban in the same category as Benavidez, Morell, and Mbilli, as he has once again demonstrated the extent of his talent. With only 2 rounds fought since the beginning of the year, it would be logical to see him again on August 17th in Quebec City. Will his next opponent be able to withstand Iglesias’s punching power?

In his first fight for a minor belt, Eye of the Tiger’s new recruit, Arthur Biyarslanov (15-0, 13 KOs), faced Argentine Elias Mauricio Haedo (14-6, 10 KOs) for the NABF Super Lightweight Championship. It was a rather calm start to the fight, as Arthur tried to gauge the distance to land his rear hand. In the 4th round, Arthur finally managed to send his opponent to the canvas and at the same time ended the fight with a powerful body shot from his rear hand.

For his first bout on Quebec soil, Shamil Khataev (12-0-1, 3 KOs) faced Swiss boxer Ramadan Hiseni (18-1-2, 6 KOs) in a 10-round fight. It was a fairly close match. The Swiss seemed to have done enough to win, but the fight ended in a draw (96-94, 95-95 X 2).

Jhon Orobio (10-0, 9 KOs) was back less than two weeks after his victory in Shawinigan. He fought his first scheduled 8-round fight against an opponent known to Quebec boxing fans, Jose de Leon Jasso (13-5-1, 6 KOs). The latter had gone the distance against Quebecois Mathieu Germain in September 2023. To the surprise of many, Jhon sent Jasso to the floor in the first round, then finished the job with a big left hook to the body in the second round. An impressive victory for the Colombian considering his opponent had never previously lost before the limit.

To open the gala, Luis Santana (12-0, 6 KOs) fought an 8-round match against Argentine Guillermo Leonel Crocco (20-4-1, 6 KOs). Santana quickly put pressure on his opponent with excellent body shots. After sending Crocco to the floor twice, Luis finished the job with a big left hook that knocked out his opponent in the second round.

Eye of the Tiger will present a gala on August 17th at the Centre Vidéotron. WBC’s number 1 contender, Christian Mbilli, will face WBC’s number 6 contender, Sergiy Derevyanchenko. Some boxers who fought on Thursday’s card could find themselves on this card. The event, broadcast on ESPN in the United States, promises to be a big night in the old capital.