Wilkens Mathieu faces Esquiva Falcao on Thursday, June 11, at Theatre Capitole in Quebec City, Canada. The two fighters square off in the headliner of the Eye of the Tiger event, with tickets on sale now via Ticketmaster.
In February, Mathieu was announced for the undercard of Iglesias vs Silyagin on April 9 in Montreal. However, the Quebec City native now tops the fight card in front of his hometown crowd.
Mathieu (15-0, 10 KOs) puts his NABF super middleweight title on the line. The undefeated 21-year-old returns to the ring after three successful outings last year, having defeated Shakeel Phinn by unanimous decision in his previous bout last October in Montreal.
“Many said I was too young to face Phinn, and they’ll probably say the same about Falcao, but people need to understand that I don’t have time to waste,” Mathieu said. “I already believe I’m the best in the world, so I have to face the best in the world – and it starts by beating an Olympic medalist in front of my city on June 11.”
Olympic silver medalist Falcao (32-2, 21 KOs) of Brazil unsuccessfully challenged Vincenzo Gualtieri for the IBF middleweight title in mid-2023 dropping a unanimous decision. In his following bout the next June, the 36-year-old southpaw suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Hebert Conceicao Sousa.
Going up against Mathieu, Falcao aims for his third win in a row, after last year’s victories over Carmelito De Jesus and Marcos Vinicius Rodrigues De Barros.
“I respect my opponent – I know he’s a good fighter, an undefeated one,” Falcao said. “But he hasn’t faced a boxer like me yet: an experienced fighter who hits hard and has a real hunger to win. I’ve already fought for a world title, and I plan to do it again. God will be with me on June 11 – and the victory will go to Brazil.”
On the Mathieu vs Falcao undercard:
- Mehmet Unal (15-0, 13 KOs) of Turkiye defends his WBC and WBA Continental light heavyweight titles.
- Montreal’s Moreno Fendero (14-0, 10 KOs) defends his WBC Continental super middleweight title.
- Thetford Mines featherweight Thomas Chabot (12-1, 8 KOs) and Trois-Rivières lightweight Daylen Pepin (2-0) are also in action.
The full fight card is expected to be announced shortly.