STEVE MOLITOR vs CEFERINO LABARDA

Although a 122-pound unification match against Ceferino Caballero is all-but finalised, “Canadian Kid” Steve Molitor first has to take care of business on Friday when he makes an IBF title defence against unbeaten Ceferino Labarda, of Argentina.

Molitor is boxing for the fifth time in a row at Casino Rama in Ontario, with TSN televising the bout live in Canada. As usual, a packed house of 6,000 will be cheering for Molitor.

This will be Molitor’s first bout with new trainer Stephane Larouche in his corner. (Former trainer Chris Johnson was released by Molitor’s management for getting involved in non-training aspects of the fighter’s career.)

Molitor trained with Larouche in Montreal for Friday’s bout and as always is ready for 12 fast-paced rounds. Although Molitor impressively stopped Michael Hunter and Takalani Ndlovu, his last three fights all went the full distance. If this one goes the limit, too, it will be fine with Molitor. He says he put pressure on himself by promising to stop the Thai, Fahlan 3K Battery, last October and has learned a lesson.

“If a knockout comes it comes,” Molitor said over the phone on Sunday. “I’m going in there to do my best. I have a new trainer, so we’ll be doing the things we’ve been working on and stick to my game plan.

“I can’t go in there and go for the knockout like I did with 3K Battery. If I don’t stick to my game plan, I become another fighter, so I just want to fight like I normally do and let a knockout come naturally like it has before with Hunter and Ndlovu.

“I’ve worked on being more relaxed. We’ve watched some of my tapes from some of my previous fights and a lot of things were forced, and Stephane’s trying to get me to let the punches flow a lot more fluently without forcing them as much.

“We had lots of good sparring and just the level of athletes in the gym [in Montreal] is a step up. I love to train here in Ontario, but in Montreal you’re training side by side with Lucian Bute, Adrian Diaconu, Jo Jo Dan and those guys, and it makes you take your training to a higher level.”

Labarda, although undefeated, has fought opponents of no great stature, but the Argentinean is, like Molitor, a southpaw and he seems to be strong and quite a good body puncher.

Also, Labarda has a good amateur background: he boxed in the 2000 Olympics, losing to the Russian silver medallist in his opening bout. He won a Pan American Games bronze medal as a bantamweight and holds a win in the amateurs over Mario Santiago, the Puerto Rican who fought Steve Luevano to a draw, so Labarda does have respectable credentials.

“There’s no way I’m taking this guy lightly,” Molitor said. “I’ve just got to box the way I know how to box, be smart, be classy, and if I get the knockout that’s great — and if I dominate every round, that’s great, too.”

Molitor will be taking part in his fifth title bout in 13 months, which is rare in the current era, but he says the busy schedule suits him. “Four fights in nine months, the last one against Fernando Beltran [in April], it was a little draining, a little hard to get up mentally, but I’ve had quite a bit of time off, I went on vacation with my family and stuff like that," he said. "But I do like to stay busy, I’m 28 so it’s not like I’m an old guy and it’s not like I’m getting in there and going to war and getting banged around where I need to take time off.”

Molitor is clearly a big favourite to win. He is more experienced than Labarda and has fought at a much higher level. From what little I have seen of Labarda, I would say that the Argentinean is out of his class. Labarda is a mature fighter, though, at 27, he was an international-class amateur, and Argentinean fighters are usually durable. Molitor has the greater speed and skill, and his moves and combinations are likely to have the challenger struggling, but Labarda has all to gain and nothing to lose. Molitor should win fairly comfortably, either by decision or perhaps a stoppage around the 10th or 11th round if he can wear down the challenger, but I am expecting Labarda to make a stubborn stand.

Then, it should be full steam ahead for the bout with the tall Panamanian, Caballero. That would be the toughest fight of Molitor’s career, but he said: “When I’m pressured the better fighter comes out of me. I felt like that when I fought Michael Hunter in his home town, I felt a little bit threatened and it brought the best out of me — and I feel the same thing with Caballero.”