Mathieu proud, calls out Munguia after finishing Falcao in eight
Ring ambassador Wilkens Mathieu took another step towards world level with an impressive stoppage of Esquiva Falcao after eight rounds' action at Montreal Casino overnight.
Some questioned aloud whether Mathieu bit off more than he could chew, facing a former world title challenger and Olympic silver medalist in Falcao for his first headline bout three years into life as a paid professional.
Eight months removed from a solid but anticlimactic points win over Shakeel Phinn, the 21-year-old added an 11th win inside the distance against a tough visitor unimpressed by the punches leveled at him in the early exchanges.
He wouldn't know it at the time, but that declaration of indifference aged poorly.
Falcao's corner is said to have asked the Brazilian how he rated the power after two rounds and he wasn't exactly impressed, yet his body and facial expressions told a different story.
It felt like bullish bravado, against a man 15 years younger and faster as Mathieu (16-0, 11 KOs) got to work and progressively intensified his punch output and variation during the middle rounds of their clash scheduled for 10.
The unbeaten talent hurt him with body shots, uppercuts and utilized range at distance yet left enough openings for the Olympic medalist to apply some resistance when overextending or leaning against the ropes. Yet he was largely in control. Stinging counter shots in round four did their job, as did left hands and heavy rights in the fifth.
Uppercuts were his modus operandi in the sixth, buoyed by some success Falcao (32-3, 21 KOs) unwisely traded at close-range in the seventh and Mathieu's momentum preceded a finish at the end of round eight as referee Steve St Germain had seen enough.
He watched the veteran wobble backwards before being floored with seconds left in the stanza and while beating the count, left unhappy by the subsequent reaction. Falcao didn't protest the stoppage, a career-first in 35 bouts.
The final sequence began with a pair of right hand piston-like jabs and digging shots downstairs. Sensing the opportunity, Mathieu relished the time and space afforded to tee off on a weary Falcao, wobbling him with a left hook and adding a right hand in the mix as the southpaw was pinned in the corner.
Post-fight, he deemed the performance a 7.5 out of 10 having come into the fight with 'a couple of injuries' which slowed him down a tough, yet was left very proud of the result. Another bold callout was in mind to finish.
Mathieu, the WBC's No. 10-rated contender as well as No. 14 with the WBA and a spot lower in the WBO rankings, isn't shy about plotting an ambitious world title roadmap at 168 pounds.
No doubt aware his promotional stablemates Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) and Osleys Iglesias (15-0, 14 KOs) are occupied with business elsewhere, he deviated from last year's Hamzah Sheeraz callout by beckoning WBA titleholder Jaime Munguia (46-2, 35 KOs) to defend his title against him.
He said the Mexican would've been 'easier prey' than Falcao proved and pressured promoter Camille Estephan to make that matchup, though it's easier to forget this was just his second contest scheduled for 10 rounds.
Eddy Reynoso-trained Munguia has been in more 12-round bouts than he has fights and at 29, is looking rejuvenated working alongside former rival Canelo after outboxing Armando Resendiz for the title last month.
Beaudoin wins, Unal survives and more
Recent title challenger Leila Beaudoin (15-2, 2 KOs) pitched a shutout over 10 rounds against Colombia's Paulina Angel (7-3-2, 3 KOs) to claim interim WBA 130-pound title honors in the evening's chief support bout.
Montreal-based Turkish light heavyweight contender Mehmet Unal (15-0-1, 13 KOs) escaped with his unbeaten record intact after a majority draw (95-95, 95-95, 94-96), despite many critics believing Swiss veteran Yoann Kongolo (18-3-2, 7 KOs) did enough to pull off the upset over 10 rounds.
Elsewhere on the undercard, there were stoppage victories for French super middleweight hopeful Moreno Fendero (15-0, 11 KOs) and Armenian junior lightweight prospect Erik Israyelyan (6-0, 4 KOs) over Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (TKO8) and Johan Guzman (TKO1) respectively.
Quebec featherweight Thomas Chabot edged a 10-round majority decision over Jose Antonio Sampedro though his compatriot and lightweight hopeful Daylen Pepin (2-1) wasn't so fortunate, losing his perfect record via four-round majority decision against French spoiler Jordan Dzaba (4-3-1, 1 KO).
