TKO UnstoppableThe date – February 28/04. The place – The Pierre Charbonneau Centre in Montreal. The event – TKO 15 Unstoppable. With 2 Canadian and 1 World Title on the line several thousand rowdy fans packed the P.C.C. to watch eight pairs of warriors battle it out in the squared circle. The main event featured Montreal’s own, and TKO Middleweight World Champion, David “The Crow” Loiseau against No. 1 challenger Jeremy Horn, regarded by many as one of the best 155 pound fighters on the planet. A submission expert, Horn brings a lot of experience to the ring and is the kind of fighter who simply dismantles his opponents with an incredible combination of technique and timing. So dominant has he been throughout much of his career that many of his fights are over before they really get started and in 82 bouts he has forced his opponents to submit a staggering 32 times. On the other hand champion Loiseau entered the ring with only 22 bouts to his credit and relies on a balanced combination of boxing and wrestling. A talented striker, Loiseau, brings a lot of intensity to the sport, has developed a strong work ethic over the years, and basically knows how to get the job done. But would that be enough against a fighter as dangerous as Horn? Yes,
Loiseau is the current champion, a great fighter and one of the rising
stars in the sport, but the fact remains that he has never faced an
opponent of Horn’s calibre and despite all the local hype appeared
somewhat overmatched. THE FIGHT After a lengthy intro and the customary singing of the National anthems the bell sounded and the moment we’d all been waiting for finally arrived. Unfortunately for Loiseau and his adoring fans a moment was all he got as the end came swiftly at 55 seconds of the opening round and Jeremy Horn added yet another name to his long list of defeated opponents. Using a guillotine-choke, Horn forced the local favourite to tap out while still on his feet and before either fighter could even break a sweat. Some in the audience appeared stunned, but many more were merely disappointed that Loiseau hadn’t found a way to better defy the odds. Indeed, most experts and many fans had picked Horn to prevail in this contest believing that the challenger was just too experienced for their home town hero. So once again, submission reigns supreme and while very difficult to learn and perfect, this form of fighting is still the most effective way to stop an opponent. POST FIGHT. During the press conference Horn described his performance to a packed house of reporters. “First of all I would like to thank all the people who came out,” he said. “Montreal has some of the best fans anywhere and it’s you that make these events possible.” He then went on to elaborate on a rather short night’s work in a very candid, respectful manner. “I think David’s nerves may have got the better of him.” he explained. “I’ve watched him a lot and I really feel he’s a better fighter than he showed tonight.” When questioned about the finishing hold (guillotine-choke) Horn was equally candid. “I didn’t think I had him at first,” he admitted. “I thought he was going to slip out or throw me to the mat, but then I could hear him start breathing kind of funny, and then that’s when I knew I had him.” WHAT’S NEXT Horn was rather vague on this one and seemed reluctant to mention any details, simply stating that he felt very strong at this weight, looked forward to adding more belts to his collection, and would fight anybody, any time, anywhere! THE REST Jonathan Goulet ( Victoriaville QC ) defeated Alex Gasson ( London ON ) in a welterweight bout ( TKO round-1 ), improving his record to 7-5-0. Mark Bocek ( Toronto ON ) made his long awaited TKO lightweight debut defeating Mark Colangelo ( Montreal QC ) who was forced to retire with a knee injury after the first round ( TKO round-1 ). Thierry Quenneville ( LaPrairie QC ) defeated Phillipe Legace ( Quebec QC ) in a superlightweight match-up ( TKO round-1 ) improving his record to 3-1-0. Steve Duquette ( Sherbrooke QC ) overpowered Claude Tremblay ( Montreal QC ) in a lightweight contest ( TKO round-1 ) improving his record to 2-0-0. Stephane Dube ( ST Constant QC ) destroyed Kajan Johnson ( Prince George BC ) in a lightweight tilt, finally dropping his over-matched opponent with a devastating spinning back-kick to the body ( TKO round-1 ). Dube improved his record to 1-1-0. In his TKO debut Todd Gowenburg ( Vancouver BC ) wasted little time in stopping Marc Cambier ( Lachute QC ) in the only heavyweight bout of the night ( TKO round-1 ). Stephane Vigneault ( IDM QC ) defeated Troy Quesnelle ( Barrie ON ) in a super lightweight bout ( TKO round-1 ) improving his record to 4-1-0. Definetly the fight of the night Kyle Sandford ( Halifax NS ) won a split decision over Stephane Potvin ( Montreal QC ) in a middleweight tilt. This one was a real war as both men gave it their all, showed tremendous heart and received a standing ovation from the fans at the final bell. Sandford improved his record to 3-0-0. In the lightweight division Bill Mahood ( Prince George BC ) won his TKO debut by stopping Yan Pellerin ( Sherbrooke QC ) by TKO at he end of the second. Pellerin clearly dazed from head-shots wobbled back to his corner at the bell and collapsed between rounds. He was attended to by ring-side physicians for several minutes, eventually leaving the ring under his own power. CANADIAN SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP Mark “ The Machine” Hominick ( London ON ) successfully defended his Canadian Super-Lightweight Title with an impressive win over David Guigui ( Montreal QC ). A fan favourite and one of the sports brightest young stars, Hominick dominated most of the action finally finishing his opponent with a hard left to the chin thrown from a full-mount. Hominick improves his record to 5-0-0. CANADIAN MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP Chris Fontaine ( Winnipeg MO ) captured the Canadian
Middleweight Title in his TKO debut by defeating local favourite and
current champ Steve Vigneault ( IDM QC ). The end came
quickly at 1:14 of the opening round when the young challenger delivered
a vicious knee to the champions face sending him through the ropes and
onto the ring apron with a broken nose. The referee stopped the fight
immedietly declaring Fontaine the winner and new Canadian Middleweight
Champion. |