Molitor taking some much needed rest.
Boxing champion Steve "The Canadian Kid" Molitor defeated his Mexican challenger, Fernando Beltran Jr. last night at Casino Rama. Molitor has fought every three months since his first title defense last July, and plans to take some much needed downtime
Photo by Daniel Ho
Although International Boxing Federation super bantamweight champion Steve Molitor defended his belt for the fourth time with relative ease according to the judges scorecards, his face told another story under the bright lights of the post-match press conference.
His brow was red and swollen, and his left eyelid was sporting a nasty gash. There was no doubt the 122-pound Mississauga boxer, now 27-0 (10), was in a fight last night when he headlined a card held at Casino Rama.
“He was ranked number one (by the IBF). He wasn’t no bum,” said Molitor.
The Mexican challenger Fernando Beltran Jr., 30-3-1 (18), pushed Molitor for all 12 rounds, making him work for his unanimous decision. Beltran stalked Molitor all night, pounded at his body, cut the champs eye with jab, and even threw in some low blows for good measure. But the champ used impressive ring savvy to win a near shutout.
Molitor has fought four tough opponents since last July, taking on all comers to retain the belt he won by beating England’s Michael Hunter in November of 2006. Now the Sarnia-raised boxer, who turned 28 the day before the fight, is giving himself a birthday present: some much needed
downtime.
“Me and (my team), we all decided it’s time for me to take a little break,” said Molitor, who’s fought every three months since his first defense against Takalani Ndlovu last July. “No running, no training. Nothing for 30 days.”
“I gotta take some time off and get that hunger back a little bit,” he explained, reasoning that he wants to avoid burning out. “To fight four times in…nine months, it gets a little draining mentally more than physically.”
But Molitor has no regrets about his intense schedule since winning the title. “That’s going to make me a better champion: stay busy, fight all sorts of different opponents, and gain more experience.”
Molitor’s trainer Chris Johnson concurred, and figures the break will also help his boxer as he prepares to take his career to the next level later this year.
“You’re looking at a guy that’s blossoming,” Johnson said. “You haven’t seen the best of Steve Molitor yet.”