RDS and Sportish will present the gala of GYM: Akdeniz c. Encinia & Marie-Pier Houle c. Reynoso from 7 p.m. Thursday evening.
Forever, the name of Marie-Pier Houle will be associated with the tragic fate of Jeanette Zacarias Zapata. Each time she steps back into the ring, she will no doubt be reminded of the events of August 28, 2021 at Stade IGA, her K.-O. which led to the death of the Mexican boxer five days later.
They are part of his roadmap, like his four victories.
Tuesday morning, two days before his return to the ring in the semi-finals of a gala presented behind closed doors at the Casino de Montréal, but broadcast on RDS, Houle took part in a videoconference during which he discussed of his training camp “in the gym hidden in the depths of a basement in Saint-Adèle”, of the pedigree of his opponent – Yamila Esther Teynoso – and, of course, of his mental state.
“I would have liked to get back in 2021 and really turn the page on what happened. I can’t erase what happened, it’s part of my baggage, it’s part of who I am now, the boxer that I am. I know it’s going to stick with me for the rest of my career, but it’s sure and certain that having a few more months to prepare [a aidé]. It meant that the gossip on the Internet ended up stopping a bit. That, already, is a plus. »
Supported by her family, her husband and her trainer Sébastien Gauthier, the 31-year-old Quebecer claims to have done everything to move on and considers herself ready to fight again.
“This fight, I apprehend it in a very good way. I have no fears, the sparring went well and I have never had a blockage since I came back. So I think that’s just a good sign. It’s something that I have to put behind me because I don’t want it to paralyze me for the rest of my career. I don’t think that’s going to happen either, because I feel so much better. I made peace with it, then it’s fine. »
Patients soon satisfied
Faced with Yamila Esther Teynoso, a boxer she describes as aggressive and with a penchant for fighting, but who has won only one of her last six fights, Houle (4-0-1, 2 K.- O) promises not to back down.
“I like it when it’s brewing and I intend to really impose myself physically,” she said.
Teynoso (12-9-3, 8 KOs) may not have had a string of wins lately, aside from a win over modest Natalia Alejandra Juarez in her most recent fight last December, but the 25-year-old Argentine nevertheless reached the limit against former world champions Victoria Noella Bustos, Chis Namus, Layla McCarter and Amanda Serrano, in particular. She also reached the limit against Quebecer Marie-Ève Dicaire in 2017, before the latter became world champion.
“At 31, I want fights, the pandemic has slowed me down. I don’t want to skip any steps, but in women’s boxing, there aren’t many people who don’t take risks. I think it’s a good thing for me to take a risk, and after the fight this summer (against Zapata), I didn’t want to get someone back who was still going to be a supposedly easy fight. . I want to show that I know how to box, that I am capable of imposing myself. »
Coming out of an isolated training camp in the basement of a gymnasium in the Laurentians “where it was around -40 ° C with pipes that burst and toilets that no longer flush” according to her, Houle claims to be mentally and physically equipped for the challenge that awaits her in the center of the ring at the Casino de Montréal.
“We really isolated ourselves and I tell myself that I really [monté] of a level in my boxing technique. That’s what we wanted to bring for this fight because we really managed to focus with no distractions around us, “rejoiced the one who multiplied the rounds of training with her trainer, the former boxer Sébastien Gauthier.
“We prepared together, he was my sparring partner throughout that camp. We did big rounds of sparring. We are as ready as if he was the one who had prepared for this fight. »
If she can count on the support of the latter in her corner, Houle will not be able to perform in front of her family, who will not be able to attend this evening held behind closed doors. Nevertheless, she consoles herself with the idea of reaching an even larger audience on the airwaves of RDS.
“For me, the fact that it is broadcast on RDS is really something wonderful because all my patients in my clinic want to watch me, they want to follow me,” noted the one who leads a career as a therapist in parallel. in physical rehabilitation. “Everyone talks to me about it. That’s the fun for me and I know I’m still going to feel them in the ring with me, even if I don’t hear them screaming for me. »
