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| photo credit: Edward Diller/DiBella Entertainment |
Alex Perez has the so-called pedigree; a highly-touted undefeated prospect who hones up his chops in the mean streets of Newark, New Jersey and with a fearsome record on paper of 16 wins, 9 inside the distance (although on closer examinations he feasted on patsies to pad his resume) is on the way up, and coming into the fight, maybe in his mind, grabbing the NABF welterweight belt is nothing but just a formality of his promise as a prizefighter.
Nicknamed the "Brick City Bullet", Alex Perez has the compelling backstory that the boxing media loves: shot twice and survived right after his pro debut in 2004; charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault in 2008. He was a young fighter who was given a second lease in life by finding boxing.
It was supposed to be Alex Perez's coming out party and a showcase of his talent and skills until the so-called sacrificial lamb spoiled his grand plans big time.
Nobody thought Antonin Decarie, the 29-year old journeyman from Canada, could pull the upset against Alex Perez. Nobody would have believed that the fighter from Quebec would dismantle his favored opponent inside the ring. But by doing so, Antonin Decarie made the most of his opportunity to appear on the HBO Boxing After Dark fight card at the Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Conn.
In all 7 years of his professional boxing career, Antonin Decarie was known to be decent albeit a feather-fisted fighter. His record of 7 knockouts in 27 fights speaks for itself. But his record also shows that Antonin Decarie knows how to win and can hold his way inside the ring by compiling a 26-1 win-loss record, a fact that was probably overlooked by Alex Perez and his handlers.
The plot was supposed to be an easy one for Alex Perez. Thus, he was favored to steamroll over Antonin Decarie. It was a fight dubbed by some quarters to be between a streetfighter and a gym denizen; a puncher and a pitty-patter; a future star and a cannon fodder.
But as it always happens, the championship fight did not follow the right script as the boxing gods played a cruel spell on Alex Perez's quest for glory. He was not only outclassed but was stopped in stunning fashion by Antonin Decarie (27-1, 8 KOs) who took home the title via a 6 round TKO.
It was a painful loss for Alex Perez as he was really never in contention during the fight. Antonin Decarie did not give him the chance to get on track. Decarie disrupted Perez's rhythm right after the opening bell.
Antonin Decarie made himself an elusive target for Alex Perez's power shots. He moved constantly and used the entire ring wisely. He would dart in but maintain his distance, potshotting his opponent, and backtracking before Alex Perez could react to counter.
Antonin Decarie invested heavily into Alex Perez's body, digging deep inside while not neglecting to unleash the occasional hammers upstairs. These small things Antonin Decarie did with uncanny accuracy.
And so the story of the fight goes...
Antonin Decarie would continue to chop Alex Perez's body while hammering his head in increasing fashion. On the other hand, Alex Perez was only contented with throwing the occasional power shots during the fight.
In the interval between the 5th and 6th rounds, Alex Perez's corner was egging him to "make a fight" since they know that he is "down on the scorecards." But his corner's prodding was to no avail as it was in the 6th round when Antonin Decarie unloaded his best shots to damage Alex Perez's name and reputation as a fighter.
And with time down to 25 seconds, Antonin Decarie landed a crushing left hook flush on Alex Perez's chin that made him dance the "Paso Doble" in slow motion for a moment before getting hit by a huge right follow up on the chin again, as he went down on his back spread-eagled on the canvas.
Alex Perez struggled to get up on his feet and beat the count but Antonin Decarie, seizing the momentum, did not give him the chance to recover as he immediately moved in for the kill and unloaded several wicked rights as Alex Perez, glassy-eyed, his back on the ropes and visibly dazed, took them badly.
And with just 6 seconds on the clock, Antonin Decarie connected again on two successive right bombs on Perez's temple as Danny Schiavone, the referee, stepped in to stop the carnage.
The fight was a major disappointment for the favored Alex Perez, but a coronation for Antonin Decarie, the underdog who followed his game plan to the letter and used his ring smarts to stun his opponent and the crowd.
The statistics showed Antonin Decarie's workmanlike dominance of Alex Perez: 110/229, 48% versus 56/313, 18% in total punch output while more than doubling his edge in the power department by landing 99/150, 66% against 46/165, 28%.
We do not know how long Antonin Decarie can hold on to his NABF welterweight title but the realities of the business are stacked against his favor. But for whatever its worth, last Saturday night, he was just magical and he earned the right to call himself - 'Champion.'
Note: This article was previously published on Detroit Fight Sports Examiner
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