Outaouais native Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse will have a new opportunity to grasp a world championship belt on March 7th as the vacant WBC heavyweight world title will be on the line in her bout against Abril Argentina Vidal.
This will be presented as a prelude to the gala at the Montreal Casino, featuring the main event Steven Butler versus Steve Rolls live on Punching Grace and ESPN+ in the United States starting at 7:00 PM.
Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse (6-1, 2 KOs) made her professional boxing comeback on March 23, 2023, after a few years away from the ring following a heartbreaking defeat in a world championship fight in Mexico. With unwavering determination, she decided to step back into the arena with the ultimate goal of capturing the WBC title that eluded her in a previous bout.
In her first comeback fight, she dominated American Princess Hairston from the first to the last round. She then followed up with two excellent performances, scoring a KO victory against Valeria Segovia Alonzo in her home country of Mexico, followed by a unanimous decision win against Timea Nagy. Her victory in front of her fans, at a gala presented by EOTTM at the Casino Lac-Leamy Theatre last September, gave her a renewed sense of purpose and further fueled her motivation to claim the championship title.
Her victories propelled her to the top of the WBA rankings and 3rd in the IBF. Lepage-Joanissse redoubled her efforts in training to achieve her ultimate goal, another shot at a world championship. On March 7th, she will have a new opportunity to capture that world title.
Argentinian boxer Abril Argentina Vidal (10-1, 4 KOs) will be Lepage-Joanisse’s next opponent. Among the highlights of Vidal’s career, with only one loss, is her bout against Hannah Gabriels in Costa Rica. She fought for 10 rounds with the WBA world title on the line. The right-hander nicknamed “Tina” has an offensive style that, combined with that of the Québécoise, should make for an explosive duel. The former WBA title challenger has accumulated around sixty rounds of experience, giving her a certain advantage compared to Lepage-Joanisse’s 26 rounds.
As Eye of the Tiger president Camille Estephan emphasizes, this evolving card promises to be dazzling;
“We are very proud to present this high-quality gala on March 7th, especially with the highly anticipated matchup between the #1 and #2 Canadians Butler and Rolls, and now adding a world championship fight to the mix. Vanessa’s story is one of hope and tenacity. She deserves this new opportunity with all the work she’s put in.”
Tickets for the #ButlerRolls gala are currently on sale on Ticketmaster.ca. The full card detailing the undercard fights will be announced later. For more information, follow EOTTM on Facebook and Instagram @eottm_boxing as well as on Twitter @eottm11 or subscribe to the #EOTTMARMY newsletter by filling out the online form.
