There are few moments in sports greater than a title fight – Steven Butler and Brandon Cook came to prove that point. With each fighter risking a belt and title in the spirit of competition. Add to that, the inter provincial rivalry of Ontario and Quebec, and you’re sure to have fireworks – and fireworks is exactly what was had.
Undefeated Montreal native, Steven “Bang Bang” Butler, met equally undefeated Brandon “Bad Boy” Cook in the ring at the Bell Center Saturday night. In a bout that both fighters will remember for years to come. For good and for bad. What should be a story about a great fight – and it was a great fight, will ultimately be mired in controversy. Due to the despicable actions of a few members of the crowd.
Butler and Cook came out swinging to start the fight. With Butler seemingly getting the better of the exchanges. The two men traded ferocious combinations and thunderous punches that had the crowd roaring and on their feet. It looked as though Butler was going to earn a victory early in the fight. But the wily veteran Cook kept it together and weathered the storm. As the bout went on, tempers slowly began to boil. On a few occasions, Cook seemed to land late blows when the two were clinched and by the end of the fifth round, referee Marlon Wright had to separate the two following the bell. The rivalry was proving real, belts and undefeated records at stake.
Butler was starting to slow and Cook sensed it. Perhaps Cook, being nine years the senior of the young twenty-one year old, used his experience to get into the head space of Butler. And if so, it worked.
At the pinnacle of the seventh round, Cook caught Butler with a beautiful right over hand punch, sending him crashing to the canvas. Butler got to his feet but the referee decided to end the bout, much to the dismay of Steven Butler. And to the ire of the crowd. Cook raised his arms in victory, and was bombarded by missiles thrown from the crowd. Beer cups and bottles mostly. But then an ice bucket struck Cook in the back of the head. At the same moment the enraged Butler hit Cook. Lets clarify here – the fight was already well over. The champion went down and was pounced upon by his manager for his protection as chaos broke out. Fights erupted in the crowd between the two fan factions while the ring itself was swarmed by fighters and officials. It was a disgraceful end to a fantastic fight and card.
Two arrests were made following the skirmish and four people, including two security agents, were injured. One women was escorted to hospital by ambulance, after a vodka bottle that was thrown towards the ring fell short, striking her on the head and leaving her badly cut. Tempers may well flare. But the fighting should remain inside the ring.
See Also : Carifesta takes to the streets of Montreal
It was revealed during the follow up press conference, that Butler felt the stoppage was unjust. Coming at the three minute mark of the seventh round, and that he would have fully recovered between rounds. Perhaps so, but the referee has a duty to protect the well being of the fighters, who nearly never know when to stop – it just isn’t part of a fighters mentality. His manager, Camille Estephan, believed Butler’s actions were the result of an energy dump. From where I sat, the call was the right choice.
Cook and his crew arrived shortly after the departure of Estephan and victorious combatant, Simon Kean . Butler hadn’t shown up for the post-fight conference. Cook’s crew had some very choice words for Steven Butler. Obviously emotional, Cook took aim at the actions of Butler and his fans, calling them classless among other things. When asked about a rematch, Cook said “I don’t think Butler deserves a rematch after what he did. Let him win two or three more fights and we’ll see” before adding that he would love to fight again in Montreal. But not against Butler, due mostly to the actions of the fans.
In the penultimate fight, the former heavy weight Olympian from Trois-rivieres, Simon Kean, looked great. In a very dominant decision victory over American Avery Gibson. It was the first time Kean had gone the distance in a professional fight. His seven previous bouts had all ended by knockout. Kean is a mountain of a man, at a towering 6’5″ – and looks to have a very bright future ahead of him. He controlled the pace of the fight and picked his spots well. Constantly landing heavy hands on the resilient American. It was hinted at, that Kean could be added to the May 11th card in New York, which features David Lemieux versus Curtis Stevens in the main event.
Another fight to look forward to, sees Lucian Bute take on Eleider Alvarez on February 24th in Quebec City. The winner of that bout will face the mighty Adonis Stevenson. Local fan favorite Francis Lafreniere is also scheduled to duke it out against Florida’s Marcus Willis, for the vacant WBO NABO middleweight title.
There is a lot of great boxing on the upcoming cards.
