OLIVER LONTCHI vs EDUARDO GARCIA

Undefeated Oliver Lontchi, from Montreal via Cameroon, defends his NABA featherweight title against Mexico’s Eduardo Garcia in an excellent 10-rounder on the Molitor-Labarda show in Canada on Friday. (This has been listed as a 12-rounder but promoter Alan Tremblay tells me it will be a 10.)

Lontchi came to Montreal to box in the Francophone Games and decided to stay, in part because he is a close friend of his Montreal-based fellow-countryman Herman Ngoudjo, his promoter, Yvon Michel, tells me.

Michel feels that Lontchi is one of those naturally talented fighters who is poised for a big breakthrough. Garcia is likely to be his toughest test, though. The 28-year-old Mexican boxer has fought at a high level, including a spirited world title challenge against Nobuo Nashiro in Japan. He made a terrific impression at the Casino Rama last year when he stopped previously unbeaten Sebastian Gauthier. Surely Garcia isn’t going to knock off another Canadian hopeful? “It could happen,” promoter Tremblay told me. “This guy Garcia is a really good, really tough fighter.”

Garcia, though, is moving up in weight for the fight and I am assuming that Lontchi will have a size advantage, which might make the difference. I’m going with Lontchi by decision.