By GM Ross: Last night, September 18, the Canadian Professional Boxing Council (CPBC) filled another championship vacancy by awarding the CPBC lightweight title to Abdou Sow (4-1-0) of Longueuil, Quebec, following his victory over Jorge Banos (6-8-3) at the Claude-Robillard Center in Montreal, Quebec. Sow needed only one round to polish off Banos, handing the Quebec journeyman his second straight TKO1 loss. In his last contest Banos was utterly dominated Orangeville’s Logan McGuinness, a win which helped propel McGuinness to his NABA title date with Buzz Grant, scheduled for next weekend in Mississauga. The loser of Grant-McGuinness would be a logical contender for Sow’s crown in the future. If such a match proves unobtainable, a rematch with Calgary’s Steve Claggett (9-0-1) would generate considerable excitement in Quebec and Alberta, considering Claggett defeated Sow by unanimous decision back in August. First, however, Claggett will have to get through the tough, but relatively untested, Dave Aucoin of Ontario on September 25.
The CPBC’s super middleweight champion Ali Nestor Charles (10-5-2) of Montreal, Quebec, was also in action at the Claude-Robillard Centre, taking on Mexico’s Jose Humberto Coral (18-17-0) in a non-title match up. Charles emerged victorious, but not without putting in some work, winning the eight round contest via unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 78-74, 78-74, 79-73. Coral has lost all three of his meetings with Canadian fighters, consisting of unanimous decision losses to former Canadian Boxing Federation (CBF) middleweight champion Larry Sharpe and current CBF middleweight king Adam Trupish. Speaking of Trupish and Sharpe, these two are set to do battle next weekend, September 24, in Edmonton, for Trupish’s CBF title.
Also on the undercard in Montreal, Arash Usmanee (8-0-0) of Red Deer, Alberta, defeated Genaro Garcia (9-10-0) of Mexico via first round knockout; Sylvera Louis (2-0-0) of Montreal earned a four round unanimous decision over Taffo Asongwed (0-5-2) of Montreal; and Eric Forget of Montreal lost his debut against fellow rookie Pierre-Paul Roody of Montreal by third round TKO.
On Friday, September 17, in Calgary, Alberta, Ayana Pelletier (7-2-0) of Winnipeg, Manitoba, won the NABA female lightweight championship by decisioning Fort Langley, British Columbia, native Sarah Pucek (4-1-1). This was Pelletier’s first time in the ring since her loss to world title contender Lindsay Garbatt of Oshawa, Ontario.
On the Pelletier-Pucek undercard a small ripple of shock was sent through the Canadian boxing world when Janks Trotter (3-0-0) of Calgary, Alberta, knocked out the undefeated and more experienced Roberto McLellan (5-0-1) of Williams Lake, British Columbia, in the first round. There were also two draws on the card, with Albertan light heavyweights Max Gange (0-0-1) and Mike Buccannan (0-0-1) and middleweights Paul Bzdel (0-1-1) of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and Stuart McLellan (6-0-2) of Williams Lake, finishing even. In the evening’s other contest, Jorge Ravanal Jr. (3-0-0) of St. Albert, Alberta, kept his undefeated record intact, scoring a four round unanimous decision over Mike Kruse (2-1-0) of Calgary, Alberta, in a middleweight contest.
Unfortunately, the fights scheduled to occur in Shediac, New Brunswick, on September 17 had to be postponed. According to Moncton’s Times and Transcript newspaper the fights have been rescheduled for October 16.