First WBC Bridgerweight championship bout ever as Rivas and Jennings clash
For the first time in history, the WBC Bridgerweight title will be contested between No.1 contender Oscar Rivas and No.3 rated Bryant Jennings
A great World Boxing Council World Championship fight will officially come to fruition on October 22nd, in the bewitching atmosphere of L’Olympia de Montréal, a renovated venue that has kept its captivating cachet. Those who will have the privilege of being there will attend a colourful show in an exceptional environment that they will not soon forget.
For the first time in history, the WBC Bridgerweight title, under 224 pounds, will be on the line. Adopted Quebecer and WBC No.1 contender for the vacant WBC title, Oscar “Kaboom” Rivas (27-1, 19KO) will face American and No.3 rated Bryant Jennings (24-4, 14KO), of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
This is a major clash for the two fighters and their careers, which promises to be a risky, hotly contested contest. After all, the winner will become the monarch of this new division. This grand and historic showdown marks the return of American television to Canada for the first time since December 2018. In total, this prestigious gala will also be broadcast live in nearly 50 countries.
Rivas was ranked among the world’s top 5 heavyweights when he was selected as the No. 1 contender in the WBC’s newly created division. In his last fight this past March, he easily disposed of Sylvera Louis by retirement in the 3rd round. In addition, boxing fans remember the fight delivered by “Kaboom” in England on July 20, 2019, against Britain’s Dillian Whyte (25-1, 18KO), in his previous outing. Rivas lost by close decision in a very exciting duel.
With a bit of nutrition and fitness coaching, Rivas has been able to make the new bridgerweight limit of 224lbs.
This will be the second clash between Jennings and Rivas, who fought an extremely contested match on January 2019, in Verona, New York. Also broadcast by ESPN +, Rivas-Jennings I was virtually even after 11 rounds. At the start of the last round, Rivas attacked with an aggressive and intense push to send the American to the floor, and subsequently forced the referee to end the hostilities. Since that time, the Philadelphia boxer has been calling for a rematch.
Jennings has fought one fight since his first fight with Rivas, a decision loss to Rio Olympics silver medalist and mandatory world contender to champion Anthony Joshua, Joe Joyce (13-0, 12KO). Jennings is the only one to have crossed the line against the British giant. The scores of 115-112, 118-119 and 117-110 indicate that Jennings managed to win several rounds in this match.
A total of six boxing matches are planned for this magnificent evening.
The return of the charismatic Sébastien Bouchard (19-2, 8KO) is confirmed, He will be back in the ring for the second time in 2021, after suffering a major injury against Ayaz Hussain in Quebec in 2019.
Alexandre Roberge (1-1) and Francis Charbonneau (3-1, 1KO) caused a stir March 16th in their six-round confrontation, which was won by Charbonneau via split decision. The two young boxers will pick up where they left off with another six-round fight.
The evening’s other fights will be announced later this week.
The Oct. 22nd event, presented in association with Mise-O-Jeu, will mark the 49th world Championship fight promoted by GYM since its founding in 2004.
Tickets will go on sale this Saturday, September 18, at 10:00 a.m. ET on ticketmaster.ca. For group orders, contact GYM at 514-383-0666 extension # 5, or by emailing info@groupeyvonmichel.ca.
About Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM)
Groupe Yvon Michel is a professional boxing promotion organization founded in 2004 by Yvon Michel, Alexandra Croft and Bernard Barré, each still active within the company, the most prolific organization in the history of professional boxing in Canada. Since its founding, GYM has promoted 158 events in Quebec, all broadcast in Quebec on RDS, TVA Sports or Radio-Canada, in addition to participating in 37 international events outside Quebec. Six boxers became world champions, Joachim Alcine, Jean Pascal, Adonis Stevenson, Artur Beterbiev, Eleider Alvarez and Marie-Eve Dicaire. Sixteen of the organization’s boxers have fought in 48 world championship bouts with an excellent record of 24 wins, 22 losses and 2 draws. During this period the major American television networks were more active than ever in coming to Quebec to broadcast GYM’s most important events. On 34 occasions, the major American networks presented a GYM event, an exceptional showcase of Quebec knowledge including HBO (8), Showtime (7), ESPN2 (10), Wealth TV (4), Spike TV (2), ESPN (1), CBS (1) and NBC Sports (1).
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