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The People's Champ: Francis Lafreniere is a Hit in Quebec
Humble CPBC Titlist Stops Aubrey Morrow for Biggest Win to Date, Ready for More!
On Saturday, October 24, Francis Lafreniere (10-5-2, 6KOs) did something many champions seem to dread these days - defend his title. Not only did the CPBC Middleweight Champion put his belt on the line, he did it against Aubrey Morrow (8-2-0, 7KOs) who, unlike much of the hand-picked cannon fodder for today's champions, was a legitmately dangerous opponent. But this should hardly come as a surprise. Lafreniere, affectionaly dubbed "The People's Champ" in Quebec, has been fighting all-comers for his entire career. He can honestly say he's ducked no one. As for Morrow, he fell pray to Lafreniere well-known, all-out offense. No matter what you do or how hard you hit, Lafreniere will march right through it. Although he's lost five contests to date, the man has never been stopped.
Lafreniere first won his CPBC Middleweight Championship back in 2014 by scoring a ten round unanimous decision over Saskatoon's Paul Bzdel. "It felt amasing!" Lafreniere recalled to Canadian Boxiana. But the "People's Champ" is even more excited about his successful title defense. "I'm the first CPBC Middleweight Champion to defend his belt. Now I'm a part of CPBC history. I got the job done 2014 and again in 2015. It's incredible, I feel like a super hero (laughs). I wanted to prove I'm a real Canadian champion and show I belong at the top of the Canadian fight scene."
Lafreniere's words hit me like a refreshing burst of fresh air. At a time when fighters are defending national belts less and less, this guy insists on defending it as a matter of pride. He's the type of fighter the average boxing fan can really embrace and support. The fact that Lafreniere started his career 3-5-2 makes his story that much more engrossing. After a couple draws and closely contested decision losses, Lafreniere stuck with it, continued to evolve, and came out the other end a champion. But how did he turn it all around? "When you have a good promotor (Grant Brothers)," explained Lafreniere, "it makes all the difference in the world. I finally had time to prepare properly. I didn't have to accept last minute fights anymore. I could be at my peak the day of the fight."
Some of Lafreniere's early fights were against very tough opponents, who went on to win championships of their own. He lost a split decision, for example, to reigning WBA Inter-Continental Champion Brandon "Bad Boy" Cook. He also fought CPBC Light Middleweight
Photo Credit: Bob Levesque