StarBox - August 14/04

“We may not churn out any world champions, but we will churn out a lot of excitement.” That’s how Alex Choko describes the launch of his new professional boxing promotions company, Starbox. Headquartered in Montreal’s Tri-Star Gym, Starbox is dedicated to showcasing local talent from the city and surrounding area. “We want to give the fans exciting and competitive fights,” says Choko. “None of our fighters are being groomed or protected,” he adds. “The match making is designed to create unpredictable outcomes ... it’s as simple as that.” The local fighters in this case are well known in the Montreal area, have family and friends nearby and are seen by many as local heroes. “This local connection counts for a lot in Montreal,” explains Choko. “There is a strong sense of community here and people really get into it.”

And judging by the turn out for their inaugural event on August 14/04, Alex Choko knows exactly what he’s talking about as over 700 rowdy fans packed a local night club for an exciting night at the fights. The card took place at Club-Soda (St. Laurent St. and Rene Levesque Blvd.) and featured 5 professional fights in as many weight classes. “Club-Soda is the perfect location for an event such as ours,” explains Choko. “Small, intimate, and no matter where you sit you’ve got a good view of the action.” And he’s right – because the club itself offers an excellent design for boxing as much of the seating is located above the ring in the form of suspended balconies. So if you’re seated in the upper decks you have a bird’s-eye view of the action but still feel very close to the competitors. In fact, during one of the bouts the home town fighter actually reached out to slap the hand of a supporter in the first row as he walked back to his corner between rounds ... brilliant.

And of course the boxers weren’t the only eye-catching talent in the ring that night. Yes, in true Montreal style the ring card girls were also turning heads between rounds. Provided by “Club Downtown” a local Gentlemen’s club, these heavenly bodies strutted their stuff to the delight of the crowd, adding a truly French-Canadian accent to the evening.

The event also featured a who’s who of the Montreal mixed martial arts scene (MMA) as local full contact fighters such as David Loiseau (former TKO World Champ) and George St. Pierre (current Canadian TKO Champ) were both on hand for the action.

NOTABLE RESULTS

Jacques Lemaire vs. Aub Provencher (168 lbs.)
Jacques Lemaire’s favourite fighter is Mike Tyson and after watching him perform it’s obvious why. A two-fisted banger, this super-middleweight buzz saw can deliver quick, powerful, compact punches with either hand and put a lot of pressure on his opponent. Victorious in his pro debut, by TKO (round 1), Lemaire was a real crowd pleaser.

Jean-Pascal Service vs. David Whitton (178 lbs.)
With only one pro fight each these two competitors were well matched and very entertaining to watch. Service played the part of the slick boxer, relying more on technique, movement and hand speed to score points with the judges. While Whitton, the stronger of the two, tried to pressure his opponent and land the heavier punches. A turning point occurred when Service cut Whitton with a looping right hand in the second round. Bleeding from a gash over his left eye Whitton became a little more defensive during the second half of the fight giving Service the opportunity to step up his attack. Service was definitely the fresher of the two at fight’s end and, sensing victory even treated the audience to his version of the “Ali shuffle” in the dying seconds of the match. Unfortunately for Service, the judges didn’t see it his way and after the score cards were tabulated the contest was ruled a majority decision draw. Understandably both fighters looked a little disappointed but the fight was very close and hard to score, maybe they can do it again. I know at least 700 people who wouldn’t mind watching a rematch.

Renan St-Juste vs. Claudio Ortiz (160 lbs.)
This was definitely the most personal contest of the night, as these two rugged pugilists didn’t seem to like each other very much. Scheduled for 6 rounds, St-Juste, a slick southpaw, was obviously the more talented of the two using his skill and finesse to dominate most of the action. Ortiz, while a little short on skill, certainly had no shortage of heart and took a lot of heavy leather during this contest. Originally from El Salvador and obviously made of some tough stuff, this never-say-die Latin fighter refused to be intimidated by his opponent and took everything the local favourite could throw at him. Not surprisingly, all the emotion in this match-up eventually whipped the crowd into a near frenzy, pulling the fans into the action and really giving them their money’s worth. And as much as they enjoyed the fight, they enjoyed the decision even more as the local boy, St-Juste, pulled out a unanimous victory over one tough hombre – good job.

Stephane Savage vs. Amadou Diallo (146 lbs.)
Both fighters had their moments in this spirited yet technical bout. Scheduled for 4 rounds, this see-saw battle ended in a draw.

Ali Nestor Charles vs. Ferenc Lankonde (162 lbs.)
The main event of the evening was somewhat of a let down as Charles, the local favourite, retired on his stool between the third and fourth frame. He did take a good shot at round’s end but had no obvious injury and unfortunately ended the night on a disappointing note.

All in all this was a great event – the kind that leaves you wanting more. And for promoter Alex Choko that’s a very good thing. “I feel that we put on a really good show,” he explains confidently. “ And gave the fans what they wanted.”

Based on the success of their inaugural event Starbox plans a second show in November 04. For more details please visit www.starbox.ca