Before future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins he faces WBC, Ring Magazine and IBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Jean Pascal on December 18 live on SHOWTIME® in the U.S. and pay-per-view in Canada, a squad of undefeated locals featuring Kevin Bizier, Michael Zewski, Pier-Olivier Cote and Eric Martel-Bahoeli, will join standout fighters including former Junior Welterweight World Champion Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi, highly-regarded contender Daniel “The Golden Child” Jacobs and unbeaten New Yorker Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin as they face off in respective bouts in front of an expected sold out arena of more than 16,000 fans at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, bringing some heat to the Great White North. If that wasn’t enough, there’s more with British heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury also appearing.
One of boxing’s most charismatic figures, Paulie Malignaggi (27-4, 5 KO’s) has thrilled fight fans with his fast hands and brash antics for nearly a decade. Now making his ring debut as a Golden Boy Promotions fighter, he’s looking for another world championship belt. A former Junior Welterweight World Champion, Malignaggi has gone toe-to-toe with the likes of Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz (twice), Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton, Amir “King” Khan, Lovemore “Black Panther” N’dou and Miguel Cotto, but the 30-year-old from Brooklyn believes the best is yet to come.
In the opposite corner from Malignaggi will be 27-year-old Michael Lozada (36-6-1, 29 KO’s), a power- punching resident of Mexico City who has won seven of his last eight bouts, with each win coming by way of knockout and his lone loss coming at the hands of rising star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Malignaggi and Lozada will battle in a ten-round welterweight fight which will be featured on the Canadian pay-per-view broadcast.
26-year-old Saint-Emile native Kevin Bizier (12-0, 8 KO’s) has been moving full steam ahead since turning professional in 2008, and after back-to-back knockouts of Johnny Navarrete and Leonardo Rojas he’s ready to showcase his talents to fans both at the Pepsi Coliseum and across Canada on the pay-per-view broadcast this Saturday night. Bizier will go for his third KO in a row when he steps into the ring to face Oklahoma City’s Ronnie Warrior (13-3-1, 4 KO’s) in an eight round welterweight contest.
Top middleweight contender Daniel Jacobs (20-1, 17 KO’s) showed a warrior’s heart when he faced Dmitry Pirog in a WBO World Title bout in July shortly after the passing of his beloved grandmother. Although he suffered his first professional defeat that night, the gifted Brooklynite has picked himself up, dusted himself off and looks to close out 2010 in style when he takes on Dallas’ Jesse Orta (7-13-2, 4 KO’s) in an eight-round super middleweight bout.
One of Canada’s top heavyweight prospects, Eric Martel-Bahoeli (5-0, 3 KO’s) is looking toward a big 2011, but first, he must close out his 2010 campaign with a four round clash against Bayamon, Puerto Rico’s Ruben Rivera (3-4, 1 KO’s).
Manchester, England’s Tyson Fury (12-0, 9 KO’s) is a certified star in his home country, and in only his second fight off of British shores, he’s looking to make an impression when he squares off against Galen Brown (33-15, 20 KO’s) of St. Josephs, Missouri in the evening’s opening pay-per-view fight. An exciting two-fisted banger, Fury won the BBBofC English heavyweight title in 2010 with a ninth round stoppage of John McDermott and he’ll be looking for his fourth win of the year this weekend.
No stranger to fighting on big undercards, Quebec City’s Pier-Olivier Cote (13-0, 8 KO’s) will return to the Pepsi Coliseum for the third time as a professional to face Mexico City’s Cesar Soriano (21-25, 13 KO’s) in a six-round lightweight contest. One of Canada’s top prospects, the 26-year-old is coming off a sixth round knockout of Walter Sergio Gomez in October, his fourth victory of 2010.
A proud native of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, 21-year-old Mikael Zewski first came to the attention of the boxing world during a stellar amateur career that saw him compile a 138-29 record that included four Canadian National Championships. Now 5-0 as a professional with three knockouts and a recent decision win over Ardrick Butler in November, Zewski is ready for his four-round junior middleweight bout against a yet-to-be-named opponent in front of his fans in Quebec.
Unbeaten in 21 professional fights, Brooklyn’s Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (21-0, 15 KO’s) pays tribute to his Cuban heritage and legendary namesake each time he steps into the ring by delivering an all out effort in search of victory. A versatile pugilist, Quillin returned from a nearly two year layoff due to injury with a near shutout decision win over Fernando Zuniga in February. He will take on Quebec’s Martin Desjardins (7-18-4, 3 KO’s) in a ten round super middleweight fight.
Owner of multiple National Championships during a stellar 143-16 amateur career that also saw him ranked number one in the United States as a Junior Olympian in 2007, Cleveland’s junior middleweight Eduardo Alicea will travel to Canada to make his long-awaited professional debut on December 18 in a four round contest against an opponent to be determined.
