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Boxing talk with ‘’The Canadian Kid’’ Steve Molitor

By Durell Wambolt with Jeff Emond Jeffrey

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 The Boxing Examiner.com recently spoke with Steve Molitor, one of the finest Canadian and International boxing talents around. Indeed, his track record speaks for itself with 34 wins and only 2 defeats. The Canadian Kid went on to conquer the Canadian Super Bantamweight division plus the WBF, Commonwealth and NABA bantamweight championships. Most importantly, this fast and accurate southpaw from Sarnia, Ontario, has excelled worldwide, wining the IBF Jr Featherweight Championship on two occasions. Since losing his title last March in South Africa against Takalani Ndlovu, Molitor is on a mission to reassert his dominance in the super bantamweight division.

The Boxing Examiner: How did you first become interested in boxing?

Steve Molitor: My older brother started boxing about a year before I did, he inspired me.

TBE: What are some of the highlights of your amateur days?

SM: I’m a 10 time Ontario champion, 5 time National Champion, and I fought at the Pam-Am Games where I lost a close decision to the Cuban 5-4. I fought in the World Championships where I lost to the eventual Silver medalist Omar Navarez, who is a multi-time world champion and recently fought Nonito Donaire.

TBE: How many amateur fights did you have?

SM: I had 131, exactly!

TBE: Which great fighters do you fashion your style on?

SM: I never really try to emulate anybody. I looked up to Oscar De La Hoya. He was the man when I was growing up and he was a great person in and out of the ring. He was the guy to look up to and he got the job done every time he stepped into the ring.

TBE: You are a two time IBF Jr Featherweight champion, beating Michael Hunter in his Backyard of Hartlepool, England, for your first title reign and Takalani Ndlovu for the second one. What can you tell us about those fights and the feeling of becoming a champion?

SM: The first time was the best, to be in such hostile territory, first title fight; after having the fight with Gabula Vabaza fall through. I was just so happy; it was a lifelong dream that finally came true. The second was enjoyable too because I had lost in a bad fashion. I wanted to prove to the world that I’m still at the world class level. It was a good feeling, but the first title was a lot better.

TBE: Many boxing fans see your first fight against Ndlovu as your most exciting victory. Do you agree?

SM: That fight or the Michael Hunter fight. If you look back over my career I knocked out Scotty Olsen in his home town. Yeah, Ndlovu was probably one of my top two performances for sure.

TBE: In your last fight, you won a split decision over Sebastian Gauthier in Quebec City. Your comments on this very entertaining match up?

SM: Yeah, Sebastian came a lot harder than I thought he would. It was a competitive fight, but I didn’t have any problem in there aside from the cut. The blood was dripping in my eye pretty bad. I was controlling the fight the whole time; I was out boxing him easily. It was an easy night for me aside from the cut and the blood dripping into my eye. I just find it awkward that Russ Anber judged the fight for Gauthier, while Gauthier was wearing Rival boxing boots, Rival gloves and a Rival T-Shirt. The one judge that did score it for Gauthier had the last name Gauthier. I find those strange things.

TBE: Do you think Gauthier did as well as he did because he learned something during the time he was your sparring partner?

SM: For sure he did, but it’s a two way street. I also picked up a little something, a few mistakes that benefitted me for the fight as well.

TBE: You counter punched very well during this bout. Was that your game plan?

SM: I didn’t want to go out there and swing wild, I knew he’d come at me, the plan was to pick him off from 1 to 10.

TBE: In the tenth round, it looked like you rocked Gauthier and the referee waved off the knockdown. Your thoughts?

SM: I thought it was a knockdown. I’m not the referee. I don’t know if he tripped on my foot or not. I couldn’t see on the camera angle myself, but I feel it should have been scored a knockdown.

TBE: Did you underestimate Gauthier or did you expect a war?

SM: I don’t think I underestimated him, but I didn’t take it as seriously as I did other fights. I’m not making any excuses, we trained hard. I expected that sort of fight minus all the blood and all the head butts and stuff like that. You can never expect to get head butted and bleed everywhere, but it happened and it’s part of the game. I dealt with it and I got the W fair and square.

TBE: Two of the Judges went your way on the decision as the other saw Sebastian victorious. How do you feel about the scorecards?

SM: They could have been scoring the blood. The judges work for the athletic commission, that’s their job, blood happens. I got hit with a head butt in the first round and I was bleeding the whole fight, but that doesn’t mean I was losing.

TBE: In a recent interview with TheBoxingExaminer.com, Gauthier claimed he won the fight and also said he wanted a rematch. Will you fight him again?

SM : Hey Gauthier, you’re not happy with the judges’ decision and I’m not happy I didn’t knock your ass out! So let’s do it again in my back yard, don’t be a little bitch! Be a man like Gaudet and Cheikho. Come fight in my hometown, don’t be a coward and hide in your hometown! Let’s settle this! I have nothing but respect for the Interbox team, but Sebastian pissed me off running his mouth and saying shit like that, Please lets do it!

TBE: Is there anything else you would like to add in closing?

SM: I want to thank all the fans that come to support me. I want to thank Top Rank and Cameron Dunkin, Mark Erwin, Leroy Williams and my new sponsor HeadRush and all the people from Interbox that helped me during this fight and everyone that loves me and my family, my wife and children. I just want a rematch. I want to squash any ideas that Sebastian Gauthier has that he won, I want to put an end to those thoughts.

TBE: Thank you for taking the time to talk with TheBoxingExaminer.com.

SM: Thank you very much Durell!

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