Montreal, January 21st 2011: Friday, February 11th marks the return of Groupe Yvon Michel’s highly regarded FAST AND FURIOUS boxing series, presented by the Casino de Montreal in collaboration with Videotron, at the spectacular Bell Centre in Montreal.
This series of 4 stellar events will return again on April 8th for its final installment, with burgeoning superstar David Lemieux (25-0-0, 24KO) in the main event. 2,117 fans rushed through the gates of the home of the legendary Montreal Canadiens this past October 29th to witness Lemieux’s crushing knockout of Hector Camacho Jr, and over 2,500 fans returned on December 3rd, enjoying the fantastic ambiance created by the Bell Centre’s exclusive new configuration created especially for the series.
This time around, the main event will feature Laval, Québec’s Antonin Décarie (24-1-0, 7KO) facing off against the rugged and dangerous American Shamone “The Truth” Alvarez of Atlantic City in a 10 round welterweight contest. For Décarie, ranked #8 by the WBA, this is a huge opportunity to showcase his talent, as the event will be broadcasted live across the United States on ESPN2 as part of their famed Friday Night Fights series. Alvarez is no stranger to Friday Night Fights, having won several upset victories and forging an excellent reputation for himself on the network. “My goal for 2011 is to join my close friend and stable-mate Jean Pascal as a world champion and I know that a victory over Alvarez will open a lot of doors for me” said a motivated Décarie. In order to maximize his training camp for such a big fight, Décarie has the privilege of crossing gloves with top Dominican prospect Felix Diaz (8-0-0, 5KO) who is currently in Montreal. Diaz is the only boxer from the Americas to boast a gold medal victory at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
In the co-feature of the ESPN2 card, another top world title contender from Montreal, JoJo Dan (27-1-0, 15KO) will go toe-to-toe with former world champion Steve “2Pound” Forbes (35-8-0, 11KO) of Las Vegas, Nevada over 10 rounds, a fight that would surely warrant a main event slot on any of the other galas in this series. Dan, ranked #3 by the WBC and #7 by the WBA, was set to challenge for a world title in his last fight but was set back by a highly controversial decision overseas. By facing a veteran with a reputation like Steve Forbes, he hopes to send a clear message to everyone in the welterweight division. Forbes was the IBF champion of the world from 2000-2003, and was runner-up on The Contender television series before once again challenging for world titles against Oscar De La Hoya and Andre Berto. “I’d like to thank Gankor and GYM for this great opportunity. Rest assured, I will be victorious on February 11th” said Dan.
Also stepping through the ropes on February 11th will be another welterweight from Quebec, as top prospect Kevin Bizier (13-0-0, 9KO) will go up against his toughest opposition since the start of his professional career, in California’s Edgar “Dandy” Ruiz (21-8-1, 13KO).
Adding to the night’s incredible action will be ultra-talented Colombian light heavyweight Elieder Alvarez (3-0-0, 2KO) as he looks to make his long-awaited return to the ring against tough-as-nails David Whittom (11-12-1, 7KO) of Quebec. Rounding out the rest of the spectacular card will be appearances by Nicholson Poulard (15-3-0, 7KO), NABA junior lightweight champion Arash Usmanee (10-0-0, 5KO), prized prospect Tyler Asselstine (3-0-0, 2KO), fan-favorite Ahmad Cheiko (5-2-2, 4KO), and Gyslain Maduma (2-0-0, 1KO).
According to Yvon Michel, president of GYM, the fans at the Bell Centre will be thrilled with their evening: “On February 11th we have an absolutely stacked card featuring some of the best hungry young boxers in Canada. Some of them may hit their limit sooner than they’d like, just as others are destined to become world champions. But mark my words, each one of these ambitious fighters will give their last ounce of energy in order to reach their dreams. Keep in mind, it wasn’t that long ago that prospects with names like Pascal, Diaconu, and Bute were regulars on our galas like the BoxeRock and Casino series.”
Consider this your invitation for the February 11th installment of GYM’s FAST AND FURIOUS series, a new and innovative concept where every seat in the Bell Centre puts you in the heart of the action. Season tickets are still available for the final 2 installments of the series. These events will also be available on demand through Canal Indigo, Bell TV and Shaw TV.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW:
Tickets are available now at the Bell Centre Box Office, evenko.ca or through GYM (514.383.0666) starting at $60.
