THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — Joachim Alcine is not about to throw in the towel just because he lost his World Boxing Association light middleweight belt.
The Montreal fighter, who gave up the title when he was knocked out on his home turf by southpaw Daniel Santos two weeks ago, said Thursday he will not only be back in the ring in 2009 but vowed to be world champion again within a year.
“I really believe this loss will just get me going,” Alcine (30-1) said at the Groupe Yvon Michel gym in the city’s north end. “It will bring me down to earth and remind me that I still have things to learn.
“It’s not that I’m a mediocre boxer. It was a close fight against a good opponent. That doesn’t mean I’ll give up.”
Because he was knocked out, he is automatically barred from sparring or fighting for 90 days, but once that suspension is served, he will get right back into the chase to win a belt from one of the major fight sanctioning bodies.
“I’m convinced that between now and next year, I will be world champion again,” the 32-year-old said. “This doesn’t affect me psychologically at all.
“I’ll come back stronger, more complete. I will be back on the world scene soon and I will be champion again.”
Alcine was GYM’s only world champion, but that could change soon.
A news conference has been called for Friday at which it is expected to be announced that gifted left-hander Jean Pascal (21-0, 14 knockouts) of Montreal will face top-ranked Briton Carl Froch (23-0, 19 KOs) for the vacant WBC super-middleweight title in November.
Whoever comes out on top will likely face a mandatory defence against the winner of a high-profile elimination bout in the fall between two Americans — former middleweight star Jermain Taylor (27-2-1) and Jeff Lacy (24-1).
Lacy’s sole defeat in 2006 was to Welshman Joe Calzaghe, the unified champion who gave up his belts to fight as a light heavyweight. Lacy won a close decision over tough contender Epafanio Mendoza on Wednesday night.
GYM also has light welterweight Herman Ngoudjo, who is in line for a rematch with IBF champion Paul Malignaggi.
Michel said his promotions company won’t be badly hurt by Alcine’s defeat because it has a long string of potential contenders coming up through the ranks, including middleweight Sebastien Demers, who has an IBF elimination bout next week in Montreal against Fulgencio Zuniga of Colombia.
“The year he spent as champion gave time for our other guys,” said Michel. “And he gave them motivation, he became a model for them.”
Michel said he wants Alcine to fight every other month in 2009 to build his ranking in the various sanctioning bodies and position himself for a title fight. He wants strong opponents.
The first order will be to fight for a North American title, but a world title shot may come sooner if one of the champions feels that Alcine is ripe for the taking in an optional defence.
“He might be considered vulnerable now,” said Michel. “He’s a good name, a former champion with a good record, so maybe a champ will say Let’s take a chance.’ “
Alcine won his title with a unanimous decision over American Travis Simms in Bridgeport, Conn., in July, 2007. He didn’t look sharp in his first title defence against Alfonso Mosquera, needing two strong final rounds to take the decision, and was tentative again against Santos.
The Puerto Rican had won three of the first five rounds when sent a right jab in and followed with a short left hook that sent Alcine to the canvas to be counted out before more than 11,000 stunned fans at Uniprix Stadium.
“It happened after the fifth round, his best round,” said Michel. “He got careless and he made a mistake you can’t make at that level — a slip on the right side against a left-handed opponent.
“It was just a little lack of concentration for a second.”
Trainer Howard Grant wonders if Alcine lost some of his competitive fire once he became champion.
“It’s a question I’ve gone over 100 times in my head — was the hunger the same as it was going up to the top,” said Grant. “I’m not going to criticize, but I don’t think it was the same.
“When you have something that’s always going to be carved in stone, that you were world champion, maybe you don’t work as hard. In defeat, Joachim is quite modest. He says maybe it’s a good thing he lost, so maybe now he’s going to work to get to where he wants to get. When you’re not the champion, you don’t get paid the same. It’s not the same lifestyle. I’ll wait and see.”
He also promised changes in his approach with Alcine, but declined to elaborate.
“All great athletes are able to rise up after a defeat,” he said. “Ali went down, Sugar Ray Leonard was beaten, Sugar Ray Robinson was beaten.
“They’ve all tasted the floor and come back to be champions.”