International Boxing Federation (IBF) No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger, undefeated Dierry “Dougy Style” Jean (25-0, 17 KOs), will become the first Haitian-born light welterweight champion of the world by upsetting defending champion Lamont “Havoc” Peterson (31-2-1, 16 KOs) on Saturday night, January 25, live on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing from The DC Armory in Washington D.C.
Fighting last May for only the second time outside of Canada, where he moved to from Haiti when he was 10, the slick Montreal boxer stopped then-IBF No.7 ranked Cleotis “Mookie” Pendarvis (17-3-2) in the fourth round of their IBF Title Eliminator, earning the 31-year-old Jean his first world title shot against Peterson.
“Training camp has been going well,” Jean reported. “My preparation is essentially the same as for any fight, only the strategy and game plan have changed. Winning the world title will be a dream come true. It would also mean a lot to my daughter, brother, coach Mike (Moffa) and my entire team since I would become their first world champ.
“This is a good time for Haitian fighters (including Adonis Stevenson and Jean Pascal). I really believe (his EOTTM stable-mate) Bermane Stiverne will become world champion this year as well. I would be really proud to bring the belt here to Quebec for my fans but also to make Haitians proud of me. It is really important for me to be representing them.”
When Jean steps into the ring to fight Peterson, he will be in the unusual position of not only fighting a world champion coming off a loss, but one who was dropped three times in the process before the action was finally halted in the third round. Peterson’s fight (May 18, 2013() against Lucas Matthysse (33-2), also on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing, was originally supposed to be contested for Peterson’s IBF belt, however, Matthysee refused to relinquish his World Boxing Council (WBC) Interim belt. A unification bout was disallowed and instead they fought a non-title fight.
“I think his (Peterson) state of mind was affected,” Jean noted. “He will be more fearful and less confident in himself. I think Peterson has been lucky in his career. He had controversial fights like the one against (Amir) Khan, where he was able to dethrone the defending champion by split decision. Peterson is a boxer with too much guts for the jaw he has!
“This will undoubtedly be an exciting fight for fans. I intend to dethrone Peterson and bring that title belt back home. I would have preferred to fight him in a neutral zone but, frankly, it doesn’t matter to me that we’re fighting in his hometown. The crowd will be against me but that will give me more rage and energy to perform. This is my second fight on a U.S. network having fought Pendarvis on ShoBox. It won’t be my last time, either. This gives me great visibility in the U.S. People will remember my name after this fight.”
Jean is ranked No. 8 in the world by The Ring Magazine.
“‘Dougy’ will be our (Eye Of The Tiger Management) first world champion,” Jean’s promoter Camille Estephan added. “Winning this title means a lot to all of us because it would reap the fruits of our hard work, dedication and commitment. These are the core values of Team EOTTM, from the athletes to our staff members and coaches. We take a lot of pride in what we do and believe the sky is the limited for us all.
“It is hard to predict which type of fight, style-wise, this will be although we have prepared ‘Dougy’ for all eventualities. There is nothing that Peterson can bring that we can’t handle. I am confident that the outcome of this fight will be in our favor. We have, in ‘Dougy’, an ultimately talented and prepared athlete.”
For further information about Jean or any of his EOTTM stable-mates visit www.eottm.com, or follow on Twitter @eotmvd and @DierryJean.
