by Richard Cloutier
Former world champions at light heavyweight, Adrian Diaconu (27-2-0) and Chad Dawson (29-1-0), took part in a recent public workout at the Corona Theatre. They will battle for twelve rounds on the 21st of May as the main co-feature to the event - Dynasty II - with the main event being a rematch between WBC/IBO Jean Pascal (26-1-1) and challenger Bernard Hopkins (51-5-2).
Alongside the training groups, BoxingScene.com/Netboxe.com met with Mikael Zewski (9-0), a rising prospect in the super welterweight division. Zewski, 22-years-old, will compete on Saturday's undercard in his third professional fight in Quebec, but his first in Montreal. Zewski's promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, is a partner with Groupe Yvon Michel on the event. Mikael Zewski will face American Ruben Galvan (27-16-4), a veteran boxer, 38, of Indiana.
"This is a guy who is coming in on his 50th fight, when for me it's going to be my 10th fight. I'm still new in the professional ranks, while he's had a long road. He fought against Paul Spadafora, Julio Cesar Chavez jr. and Zab Judah, so this is not the first talented guy that he's had before him. I can not wait to see how he will handle this. This is a guy who is very active in the later rounds. By studying his videos, I saw that he likes to take his time and doesn't make not a lot of mistakes. He is also a very defensive guy and still quite solid. He has a record of 27 wins and 16 losses, but only three defeats before the limit. None of them by knockout, always by technical knockout. It'll be a good way for me to see where I'm at in my career. "
Represented by agent Cameron Dunkin, Zewski began his professional career on February 27, 2010 in Augusta, Georgia. He then boxed under the banner of TKO Promotions, and stayed with them for a few fights before appearing for the first time - on November 6, 2010 in Newark, New Jersey - as a Golden Boy Promotions fighter.
"Indeed, we started with a roar with TKO, which allowed me to have a lot of fights in a short time. Then, the company experienced financial challenges, so it slowed quite a bit. I think I had been inactive for nearly six months, which is not good for a professional boxer. Fortunately, I came back stronger from this situation with Golden Boy Promotions. It was a dream for me to sign with the promotional company of Oscar de la Hoya. Since then, things have been very active. I think it's been five or six fights we've done with Golden Boy. It is a very good pace for a fighter."
"My last fight was very hard [note: April 9, 2011 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, victory over Clint Coronel with Zewski (4-1-2) by split decision]. I really learned a lot in this battle. Of course it's dramatic when you stop the guy in the first round, but this fight has allowed me to do six rounds of boxing difficult. I now know what to expect when I have yet to face a solid guy who will take me to make rounds. I learned a lot from this fight. "
Despite the fact that Zewski has been forced to stage most of his fights in the western United States, including California and Nevada, he remains faithful to the Stevie Boxing Club of Three Rivers, where he trains under the supervision of his father. The young man relies completely on his agent and his promoter.
"Cameron Dunkin is my manager who takes care of everything. He has managed the careers of many world champions, including Kelly Pavlik, Nonito Donaire and Tim Bradley, who is currently in the prime of his career. I therefore totally trust him. Early in my career, I think it was for my fourth fight, I was offered the Canadian title. He said at that time it was completely useless to me. As I'm boxing for Golden Boy, he planned that I stay completely away from that in order to go for a North American title. For me, I only want to fight and stay as active as possible, follow up the victories and give a good show for the crowd. That's what counts for me. "