Quintessentially Quebec
By William Trillo
As defined by Freedictinary.com
Adj. 1. quintessential: representing the perfect example of a class and/or quality
After making my fifth venture to the great Canadian Province of Quebec I can say with a 100% degree of certainty that as far as North American fight cities go, both Montreal & Quebec City rank as the Pound4Pound best. That is not opinion, that is fact.
Allow me to enlighten you.
This past Friday night at the Eric Lucas vs. Librado Andrade card in Quebec City I spoke with ESPN’s Jaime Motta about 2 hours before the Main Event. With the house already over half full (4,000 fans), I asked Motta if he had been up to Quebec before. He answered no and I told him he was going to be in for a treat. Looking around he said he was already impressed with the turnout and the fans enthusiasm. Before he could comment anymore, ESPN’s Joe Testitore, who was within earshot, came over and told Motta that this was one of the premier boxing cities around and that when it came to boxing fans there were few that compared to those in Quebec.
Testitore was right. By the time the Main Event was set to start the Pepsi Colisee was 8,100 deep in adoring fans who were there to cheer on their come backing hometown hero Eric Lucas.
That’s 8,100 fans on a Friday night to watch a Non-Title bout.
To put that into perspective, 6 days prior in Los Angeles the 4th installment of the Rafael Marquez vs. Israel Vasquez series could barely muster up 9,000 fans. A month before that Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron fought in Los Angeles on an HBO card that barely but 2,000 butts in the seats, and the word is most of those were giveaways. And the “highly anticipated” and over hyped Bernard Hopkins vs. Roy Jones rematch couldn’t get 7,000 ticket buyers in Las Vegas, the supposed boxing capital of the world!
What is happening up North is not only a credit to the knowledgeable fans but is also a direct cause and effect done by some great promotion companies like Interbox and Gym. These companies are doing it right.
From seemingly dozens of well placed Go-Go girls dancing to pumping music in between every round, smoke filled ring entrances, beer in the press room (shhh that’s our little secret), and oh by the way, very exciting preliminary match ups, it’s pretty clear these guys know what the fans and media members are looking for.
Be it in the cold of a Canadian winter or a beautiful early summer day like last week, Interbox has found a way to capture the full interest of the fans, and with fighters like Lucian Bute and a bevy of up and comers it is likely they will remain on the top of my best boxing cities list.
And then you take a fighter from Mexico like Librado Andrade who on paper has no reason to be popular in Canada, yet by way of his honest and humble personality, a first class rugged boxing style and some great marketing by Interbox, he has become so popular that he can’t go anywhere in Quebec without being deluged by fans, and it is plain to see that Canada is the place to be.
After the fight on Friday night I found myself on the same flight as ESPN’s Teddy Atlas who called the action only hours earlier. As with his ESPN counterparts, Atlas was taken by the crowd in Quebec and he too was singing the praises of this dynamic boxing city.
Why I have not seen any of my peers from south of the Canadian border in Quebec yet is a mystery to me. I have been shouting from the rooftops every time I come home that they need to get up there and cover a fight, but so far no one has taken my advice.
So when Chad Dawson takes on Jean Pacal in Montreal on August 14th and a full house blows the roof off The Bell Center and you are sitting home watching it, don’t say I haven’t told you so.
‘Cuz if you don’t, I will!
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The food in Quebec is better than the fights.
Yes Boffer, the food, especially in Montreal is amazing, no doubt. That is what makes the Quebec experience so refreshing. A good fight night followed by a fine meal. Who can complain? In fact, I am surprised that the food alone has not enticed some of my overly bloated peers to at least make the journey to stuff their faces.