By: P/R EOTTM - Andréanne Lambert

(April 19th) While the excitement surrounding the June 6 gala pitting Montrealer’s Steven ‘Bang Bang’ Butler against Patrice ‘Vicious’ Volny for the WBC Francophone title was already at its peak, Eye of the Tiger is raising the stakes by adding a world championship fight to the evening. After dazzling Quebec boxing fans last March, EOTTM’s Cuban pride, Osleys Iglesias, will make a comeback at the Cabaret du Casino de Montreal to defend his IBO world title against Russian Evgeny Shvedenko in a scheduled 12-round duel presented simultaneously on the Punching Grace and ESPN+ networks.

Osleys Iglesias’s performance (10-0, 9 KOs) in his debut under the Tiger’s banner on March 7th did not go unnoticed among the super-middleweights. It took him less than a round to dispose of the tough Argentine brawler Marcelo Coceres, who had given trouble to some of the biggest names in the division, including Diego Pacheco, Billy Joe Saunders, and Edgar Berlanga, whom he had knocked down. Currently ranked 9th in the world by the WBC and the prestigious Ring Magazine, ‘El Tornado’ aims to continue his rampage on June 6th to climb to the top of the world rankings.

In line with the stakes, the challenge will rise a notch against Evgeny Shvedenko (16-1-1, 7 KOs), who aims to cause the same surprise as in his last outing against world contender Pavel Silyagin, with whom he had a draw. He will also seek revenge against the Cuban boxing school after suffering his only career defeat against William Scull in 2022, in a competitive IBF elimination bout.

Arthur Biyarslanov (14-0, 12 KOs), Leïla Beaudoin (11-1, 1 KO), Luis Santana (11-0, 5 KOs), and Jhon Orobio (7-0, 7 KOs) will also be in action on what promises to be an electrifying evening.

Tickets for the #ButlerVolny gala on June 6 at the Montreal Casino are now on sale on Ticketmaster.ca.

Patrice Volny has sharply asserted his intention to live up to his nickname “Vicious” on June 6th, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated duels in the country in recent years; a showdown of national significance against Steven “Bang Bang” Butler. The two Montreal titans will clash in the arena of the Cabaret du Casino de Montreal in a bout scheduled for 10 rounds aimed at determining once and for all who is the master of the house.

“We’re talking about a local fight, an international-scale fight, and above all, a fight our fans have been clamoring for for some time, so we are more than happy to finally offer it to them. For our team, it also fits into the desire to bring Steven Butler back to the top, but this time, by first cleaning up our own backyard,” says Camille Estephan, president of the Montreal-based company Eye of the Tiger.

His protege, Quebec slugger Steven Butler (34-4-1, 28 KOs), is on a mission in 2024. Ranked first in Canada at 160 lbs according to Boxrec, it took him only 65 seconds to defeat the then #2 in the country, Ontario’s Steve Rolls, last March. Now that this matter is settled, “Bang Bang” wants to climb the world rankings again, and to do so, he aims to definitively settle the debate with his Canadian, Quebecois, and Montreal compatriot, Patrice Volny.

“It’s nothing personal, but our paths cross. I’ll simply show everyone who is the king of the mountain at 160 pounds in Quebec,” says Steven Butler.

The task ahead, however, looks daunting, as while BoxRec considers Butler the 14th best middleweight in the world, Patrice Volny (18-1, 12 KOs) closely follows at 20th. Like his rival, he scored his most significant KO in his last fight, stopping American DeAndre Ware in the 10th round last February in Halifax. However, in June, the former NABA and WBO NABO 160-pound champion will box in Montreal for the first time in nearly seven years, returning home with the iron will to make an important point:

“I’m not nicknamed ‘Vicious’ for nothing,” asserts Patrice Volny, equally eager to take control of the Quebecois 160-pound mountain…

Since 2008, Eye of the Tiger has been committed to recruiting the most promising talent, arming them with the tools and support to ensure their success, and creating opportunities that will allow them to scale the greatest heights of their endeavors. In order to achieve excellence, we work as arduously and with the same ferocious determination as our athletes do in the ring.

Ten years after its inception, EOTTM is as determined than ever and reiterates its goal of building a force to be reckoned with on the international scene, and to train champions who will transcend the sport and kindle passions.