By Derek Bonnett: Former IBF Super Bantamweight champion, Steve Molitor, of Ontario, Canada , endured a great setback in November 2008. Not only did he fail to defeat his greatest challenge in Celestino Caballero, but he lost his unbeaten record via lopsided fourth round TKO. Most importantly, he lost the IBF title which he held since 2006 and defended five times. Molitor was on the verge of capturing mainstream attention outside of Canada and the UK; only Caballero stood in his way.
Now, 16 months later and three wins removed from his darkest day as a prizefighter, Molitor is prepping to regain the crown he covets most: his former title. Molitor also finds himself in a favorable position to do just that. Not only does he have the home court advantage at Casino Rama on March 27, but he’ll also be re-matching an old nemesis in Takalani Ndlovu, whom Molitor stopped in nine rounds back in 2007.
The former world champion recalls his first defense of his IBF Super Bantamweight title fondly.
"I remember it as a dominating fight on my part," Molitor stated. "It will be hard to improve on that performance as it relates to a KO, but for sure the preparation and the effort will be there to attempt to do just that. In this business, the first thing to do is win and then quality of the performance comes into play. Being a world champion again is the goal and that is all that really matters."
The urge to reclaim one’s former status and gain redemption is a powerful motivator. However, many former world champions have failed to overcome the same task Molitor strives for on March 27. That’s what makes this bout so important. Some fighters come back better than before after losing their perfect records, but others never regain their footing and come up short of boxing greatness.
President and CEO of Orion Sports Management, Allan Tremblay, is expecting a favorable return to championship form for his fighter.
"I think staying busy was a good thing," Tremblay, of Team Molitor pointed out.
"Steve had to get his confidence restored and that is what has occurred. In this business everyone suffers a loss. It is how you bounce back that counts. March 27 will show everyone that [Molitor] is back better than ever."
The landscape of the 122 pound division has changed quite a bit since Molitor last held his crown. Caballero still holds WBA honors, but Juan Manuel Lopez, Israel Vazquez, and Rafael Marquez all reside at featherweight. Bernard Dunne, an opponent Tremblay was interested in matching against Molitor, retired a few weeks after being dethroned by Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym.
"I was sorry to see Dunne hang them up," Tremblay said. "I had made some preliminary overtures to him in respect of a shot at Molitor in the summer, but I guess we will never know how that would have turned out. We will have to cast our eyes around for a voluntary defense in the summer before facing our mandatory in the fall. Having said that, one fight that intrigues me is a unification contest with Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr. I mentioned it in passing whilst I was in Puerto Rico for the Sonsona fight; that would be a classic boxer versus puncher matchup if it could be made."
Team Molitor clarified that these speculations are only just that for right now. The real focus is on Ndlovu and becoming a two-time world champion. However, in speaking with both men, it is hard to not recognize the team’s confidence of victory in front of a home crowd.
"I have improved," Molitor asserted. "I move just like I have always done, but I am laying down on my punches more which will bring added power to my shots."
Can Molitor improve upon his ninth round TKO of Ndlovu and become a world champion for the second time? Ndlovu is coming off of a career best win over Kiko Martinez, who stopped Dunne in a single round. With Molitor sitting down on his punches we can probably expect some more fireworks since he’ll be banging more, but also because he will be there for Ndlovu as well.
March 27 will mark the road Steve Molitor’s career takes concerning super bantamweight redemption and boxing history.
March 16, 2010
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