Friday Night Lights: Antonin Decarie, Jo Jo Dan, Shamone Alvarez, and Steve Forbes

by Hans Olson

This Friday night the bright lights of ESPN’s nationally televised Friday Night Fights will showcase the skilled Laval native Antonin Decarie and Romanian/Canadian punching prodigy Jo Jo Dan. The card, part of Groupe Yvon Michel’s “Fast and Furious” boxing series, will take place at Montreal ’s Bell Centre in front of a spirited crowd in the boxing rich province of Quebec . Although fans are sure to back the two local pugilists, across the ring both Decarie and Dan will find difficult challenges in Shamone “The Truth” Alvarez and Steve Forbes.

Antonin Decarie, 28, looks to once again propel his career into championship contention. His only loss thus far came in May of last year, when he traveled to France and fought in a losing effort against Souleymane M’baye for the WBA’s interim Welterweight title. Quickly bouncing back, Decarie fought to a nice majority decision victory over rough and tumble journeyman Irving Garcia. Showing some grit, Decarie battled through a cut he received in the 8th, stuck out his jab and showcased nice lateral movement throughout the final 2 rounds to cruise to the hard fought victory. It is doubtful that if given the same circumstances “The Truth” will set him free.

Shamone “The Truth” Alvarez, 34, is focused to get back on the winning track himself. Weeks of preparation have led to this important fight. “Training camp went good, everything is on point as far as weight, conditioning, sparring and all that; it all was rather excellent” Alvarez told Boxing Insider. “I haven’t fought on ESPN in a while, so it’s cool to be back, it feels good to be back on TV.”

Shamone’s career got off to a great start, going 19-0 until he met former Manny Pacquaio challenger Joshua Clottey in an IBF title eliminator back in December of 2007. Alvarez was competitive, but not enough to get the nod in what was to be a 12 round majority decision victory for Clottey. Since then, the slippery southpaw has gone 2-2 in his last 4 bouts including a heartbreaker against Ayi Bruce in December of last year. Many ringsiders felt Alvarez won, but 2 of the 3 judges saw it otherwise scoring the bout a majority decision for Bruce. A loss is not something that Shamone is willing to accept again; he came to Canada to win. “I’m not worried about being in Canada , I’m worried about another loss,” said Alvarez. “It hurts when you train for so long and have to walk around the next few weeks after a fight knowing you could’ve won, yet you come away with an L. Nobody likes coming away with an L.” Some feel taking a decision victory in Canada against a local fighter can be tough, so does Shamone feel any added pressure to score a knockout? Not necessarily. “I’ve been boxing for a long time, I’m pretty comfortable and secure in the ring, and I’m not too worried about it. A knockout would be nice, but I’m not looking for it.” A crafty boxer, Alvarez presents a few wrinkles which could give Decarie some problems. Shamone is excellent when he punches in combination, can control distance very well, and has better-than-average hand speed. Alvarez has never been stopped, and also demonstrates good defensive tools. What makes this bout intriguing is that despite those tools, one of Decarie’s best weapons is his straight right…and it could find a home on Alvarez. The last time Decarie fought a left handed fighter was Terrance Cauthen in October of 2009. Cauthen took hard rights all night which eventually led to a TKO victory for Decarie. Interestingly, Cauthen was a replacement opponent for Alverez who suffered a leg injury a week before the bout was to take place. We’ve come full circle to 2011 where the fight is finally now happening. Look for a highly competitive bout between two determined fighters, both looking to advance to the next level.

Major implications are abounding in the evening’s co-feature between Jo Jo Dan (27-1) and former “Contender” standout Steve Forbes (35-8). Jo Jo Dan’s only career loss came at the hands of current WBC silver Welterweight Titlist Selcuk Aydin. A win Friday against a name such as Forbes may put in him a position to avenge that loss sometime in 2011. Jo Jo rebounded nicely from his lone career blemish by making quick work of Andres Pablo Villafane back in October on the undercard of fellow Romanian/Canadian Lucian Bute’s knockout victory over Jesse Brinkley. Against Villafane, Jo Jo controlled everything; Villafane only doing enough to scratch his way into the 4th round where he took a vicious left hand to the body that sent him down for the count. One wonders how a 33 year old Steve Forbes can take Jo Jo’s power, but like Alvarez, Forbes has never been stopped.

Steve Forbes came to prominence on the second season of “The Contender;” the reality series that lasted for a few years on various networks including NBC, ESPN, and Versus. Successful with boxing fans and curious onlookers alike, “The Contender” launched the careers of fighters Sakio Bika, Sergio Mora, Peter Manfredo Jr., Cornelius Bundrage, and Troy Ross, to name a few. Through the ups and downs, one thing is always certain: Steve Forbes will come to fight. He has been in with the best, and although they were losing efforts, he went the distance with future Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya and current WBC Welterweight Champion Andre Berto. He’s coming off of a 2nd round KO victory against Roberto Valenzuela, and would love nothing more than a significant victory on national television. Lefties with some pop like Jo Jo seem to give him trouble, but his experience and ring knowledge may be enough to take Jo Jo into the later rounds. If that happens, we could be in for an entertaining scrap.

Catch all of the action this Friday, Feb. 11 on ESPN2 and ESPN3 (9 ET).

519 Comments

  1. … [Trackback]

    […] Here you can find 56892 more Information on that Topic: boxinginsider.com/headlines/friday-night-lights-antonin-decarie-jo-jo-dan-shamone-alvarez-and-steve-forbes/ […]

  2. … [Trackback]

    […] Here you will find 44173 additional Information on that Topic: boxinginsider.com/headlines/friday-night-lights-antonin-decarie-jo-jo-dan-shamone-alvarez-and-steve-forbes/ […]

  3. … [Trackback]

    […] Read More Info here on that Topic: boxinginsider.com/headlines/friday-night-lights-antonin-decarie-jo-jo-dan-shamone-alvarez-and-steve-forbes/ […]

  4. BryanKen

    They set the tone for international pharmaceutical excellence.
    generic gabapentin
    They ensure global standards in every pill.

  5. Chesternig

    legitimate canadian pharmacy: GoCanadaPharm – reputable canadian online pharmacies

  6. WeldonCob

    glГјcksspiel internet: casibom giris – bahis siteleri deneme bonusu casibom1st.com

  7. Garretttoomi

    saglam siteler casibom yatД±rД±m bonusu veren siteler casibom1st.shop

  8. Garretttoomi

    tГјm casino siteleri casibom resmi yeni deneme bonusu veren siteler 2025 casibom1st.shop

  9. BradyAduck

    gГјvenilir kripto para siteleri: casibom resmi – oyun dene casibom1st.com

  10. Robertglarp

    casino slot online: casibom – bahis siteleri isimleri casibom1st.com

  11. Garretttoomi

    yabancД± Еџans oyunlarД± siteleri casibom 1st deneme bonusu veren yeni casino siteleri casibom1st.shop

  12. Cletuskak

    buying prescription drugs in mexico: Us Mex Pharm – buying from online mexican pharmacy

  13. Georgevap

    reputable indian online pharmacy: india pharmacy – buy prescription drugs from india

  14. Gregoryrooks

    olympe casino en ligne: olympe – olympe casino

  15. Bernardactit

    pharmacie en ligne avec ordonnance: Livraison rapide – vente de mГ©dicament en ligne pharmafst.com

  16. PeterQuogy

    pharmacie en ligne pas cher Livraison rapide pharmacie en ligne livraison europe pharmafst.shop

  17. ElmerDaw

    вавада официальный сайт: vavada – vavada casino

  18. ElmerDaw

    вавада официальный сайт: vavada casino – вавада зеркало

  19. ElmerDaw

    пин ап казино официальный сайт: pin up вход – пин ап зеркало

  20. Oscardaf

    where can i buy clomid without prescription: cheap clomid price – how to buy generic clomid without prescription

  21. ScottCug

    tadalafil tablets: Tadal Access – how much does cialis cost with insurance

  22. ScottCug

    cialis price per pill: cialis mexico – difference between sildenafil tadalafil and vardenafil

  23. LorenBonee

    cialis no prescription overnight delivery: Tadal Access – cialis as generic

  24. ScottCug

    where can i buy cialis online in canada: TadalAccess – order cialis canada

  25. JosephLaf

    how long does it take cialis to start working Tadal Access is tadalafil the same as cialis

  26. ScottCug

    cialis for bph insurance coverage: TadalAccess – cialis free trial coupon

  27. LorenBonee

    is tadalafil peptide safe to take: TadalAccess – buy generic tadalafil online cheap

  28. LorenBonee

    cialis for bph insurance coverage: TadalAccess – what is cialis pill

  29. JosephLaf

    cheap cialis dapoxitine cheap online TadalAccess cialis daily review

  30. LorenBonee

    can tadalafil cure erectile dysfunction: Tadal Access – best price on generic cialis

  31. JosephLaf

    tadalafil canada is it safe Tadal Access what to do when cialis stops working

  32. LorenBonee

    can tadalafil cure erectile dysfunction: TadalAccess – can tadalafil cure erectile dysfunction

  33. LorenBonee

    cialis no prescription overnight delivery: TadalAccess – cialis price cvs

  34. JosephLaf

    where can i buy cialis online TadalAccess buy cialis generic online 10 mg

  35. JosephLaf

    cialis dapoxetine australia Tadal Access where to get generic cialis without prescription

  36. Curtisfline

    Licensed online pharmacy AU: Pharm Au 24 – Online medication store Australia

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *