A fight nearly two years in the making will finally come to fruition Friday, July 17th, 2015 as super middleweight Vladine Biosse faces Chris Chatman in the main event of CES Boxing’s “Rhode To Redemption” show at Twin River Casino.
Those familiar with Chatman’s no-nonsense, outspoken bravado know the Jersey City native is never one to mince words. The 5-foot-8 southpaw guarantees a win over “Mr. Providence” in a fight he’s lobbied for since his most noteworthy victory at Twin River, a 2013 split-decision win over hometown favorite Thomas Falowo.
“I’m going to fuck Vla up, plain and simple,” Chatman said. “This is personal for me, and I need to thank Vla, actually, because it’s been a while since I’ve had this rage in me. I’ve always had a love for the sport I’m in, but it’s been a while since I’ve had that fire that’s burning, that killer instinct.
“Right now, you throw sportsmanship out the window. This is going to be a fight. It’s not even going to be a fight. I’m going to massacre Vladine.”
“I’m not about to talk trash,” Biosse countered. “Ever since I’ve been doing this, I’ve never talked trash about anybody. That’s just my motto. One thing I’ll say is I work hard and bring the best out of myself. Whoever my opponent is that night, I’m going to work harder than you and bring better work than you.
“It’s your job to top that. If he can top that, props to him, but I doubt it.”
The 10-round super middleweight main event headlines another stacked card for CES Boxing, featuring eight exciting bouts and a special ceremony in which former Providence Olympian Jason Estrada will be inducted into the CES Ring of Honor.
The bad blood between Biosse (15-6-2, 7 KOs) and Chatman (12-5-1, 5 KOs) stems primarily from online chatter via social media, culminating in a chance meeting between the two while Biosse was in New Jersey participating in a training camp.
“I’m at the mall with my son and Vlad shows up. He walked up to me and I said, ‘Man, who are you?’ because I’m not making the connection that it’s Vladine Biosse because Vladine Biosse lives all the way in Providence, Rhode Island,” Chatman said.
“I said, ‘Man, what the fuck you want?’ and he says, ‘Listen, I just want to let you know I’m down here for a camp.’ I knew that was bullshit because if they’re looking for a middleweight southpaw I’m the first motherfucker they should be looking at anyway.
“I told him, ‘I apologize for things getting out of hand, but I want to fight you, so when’s it going to happen?’ He said, ‘I don’t know …’ and started talking about managers and this and that. That pissed me off. I had to swallow my pride for the sake of my son. If it weren’t for my son, that fight would’ve happened on the street.”
Biosse acknowledges he and Chatman crossed paths, but denies ever refusing a showdown in the ring.
“I approached him because of the things he was saying online about me,” Biosse said. “If he was an honest man, he’d say the same thing. He apologized to me and said it was just for the fans and that he does what he does to hype the fight.
“I spoke to him about not mentioning my name in his beef because I’m not an internet fighter. If you want to fight me, we’ll make it happen. I told him, ‘As far as right now, you’re not on my level. You have to get a few wins to get on my level.'”
“If he’s a real man, he’ll speak the truth.”
Finally, on July 17th, the Biosse-Chatman feud will end between the ropes, where it was destined to end all along. A fixture at Twin River since his first appearance in 2009, Chatman owns a lifetime 3-2 record in Rhode Island and will be fighting at the same venue for this second time this year, whereas Biosse is returning to familiar territory for the first time since a majority draw against Rich Gingras in 2013.
“I really appreciate my fan base,” Biosse said. “If people love what you do and follow and support what you’re doing, there’s nothing that makes you feel better. When people heard ‘Mr. Providence’ is back, they told me, ‘We’re coming to support you and show some love,’ and, ‘We’ve been waiting on you.’ It feels great. It gives me that motivation.
“I’ve got to put on a show for these people. They love me and love what I do.”
Stylistically, facing Chatman will be a difficult task. The diminutive southpaw likes to work on the inside and has been known to break down his opponents to the body, but Biosse is confident now that he’s reunited with his original trainer, Orlondo Valles, who actually trained Gingras when Gingras and Biosse fought one another in 2013.
“Orlondo is always sharp with what he does, and I could feel the difference after the first week,” said Biosse, who acknowledged he and Valles are also working with trainer Paul Andrade in preparation for this bout. “I was like, ‘Damn, I’ve been slacking a little bit.’
“After the first week, things picked up,” he continued. “It’s been great ever since. I’ve got my timing and rhythm back as a boxer, the way I used to fight. With the things I learned from Paul, putting that together with what Orlondo does, I’m on a different level.”
For Chatman, it’s now or never, an opportunity to seize the moment in a fight he’s coveted since his gradual rise from familiar out-of-towner to sudden fan-favorite in Rhode Island. The emotions are running high, but he remains focused on the task at hand.
“I’m aware of that and need to keep that aspect in check, but I’ve got a blood lust for this fight. For whatever reasons he shut this fight down, it’s happening now,” he said.
“This is very emotional for me because this is no Facebook, jibber-jabber shit. You came to my home. I honestly thought he’d ring my doorbell, I don’t think he had the balls to do it at the moment of truth.”
Never one to back down from a tough fight, Chatman considers himself the eternal underdog, willing to fight anyone anywhere at any given time.
“He has all the advantages on paper,” Chatman said. “He’s heavier. I’m already coming up in weight and then he decided to go up in weight. If anything, I should be asking for a catchweight. But I’m going to do what I do. I’m going to come in and beat his sluggish, fat ass from post to post.”
“He comes to fight,” Biosse acknowledged. “He doesn’t box. He fights. He comes forward. I hope he does on the 17th. I hope comes forward and fights. That’s exactly what I want from him.”
