RIMOUSKI, QUE. -- Albertan Steve Claggett and Quebecer David Theroux shone brilliantly in the main event of Eye of the Tiger Management's Four Aces gala at Hotel Rimouski on Saturday evening.
The two boxers fought for six furious rounds, but as the fight progressed, a tireless Claggett (29-6-2, 19 KOs) took over.
In the sixth, the Albertan completely dominated Theroux (16-4, 11 KOs) and his corner wisely decided not to send him back into the ring for the seventh round.
Claggett scored a TKO in the first bout of the Eye of the Tiger gala grabbing the hitherto vacant North American Boxing Association (NABA) welterweight title.
The resounding victory also earned Claggett the first three points of the tournament.
Yves Ulysse Jr. (18-2, 9 KO) and Mathieu Germain (18-1-1, 8 KO) were the two other aces of the competition.
The two pugilists will try to get their hands on the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) and World Boxing Council (WBC) francophone welterweight titles.
COURCHESNE LEARNS A LESSON
Quebecer Raphaël Courchesne (8-1, 3 KOs) learned a boxing lesson by veteran Josh Wagner (7-0, 5 KOs).
The Edmonton super welterweight, inactive for five years on the professional scene, posted a unanimous decision victory, with the three judges giving him a score of 59-55.
Wagner, shaken at first but surgical later, made a resounding comeback to professional boxing after having by his own admission "fought his demons" for the past several years.
He said he went to the gym every day for the past year and put his life back on track. He is now ready to get his career back on track and this fight proved to be a great first page of a new chapter.
Courchesne expressed a desire for a rematch, to which Wagner responded that if Courchesne wanted to be beaten again, he would be happy to grant it.
In the early evening, heavyweight Adam Dyczka (3-0, 1 KO) sent Jaye Byard (0-2) to the mat in the first round. Even though the British Columbian looked better in the following rounds, the Granby boxer kept his pristine record by winning a unanimous decision. The three judges handed cards scoring 38-37, 40-35 and 39-36 for Dyczka.
Dyzcka was not at all happy with his performance after the fight. He admitted to having felt rusty throughout the four rounds and did not put on an entertaining fight.
Byard did not help him, rushing at him to limit his range in addition to holding back on numerous occasions.
-- this report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2020.
