Wilkens Mathieu

Bio

Right then, Wilkens Mathieu is the kind of prospect British and North American fans should be circling on their calendars. Still only 21 and unbeaten at 15-0 with 10 knockouts, the Quebec super middleweight is the youngest man in the legitimate 168lb pecking order, ranked tenth by the WBC and fifteenth by the WBA. Make no mistake, that is rare air for a fighter this young.

What sets Mathieu apart is the attitude. Plenty of prospects are happy to be matched soft and padded along to 20-0. Not him. He called for Olympic silver medalist Esquiva Falcao himself, telling anyone who would listen that he already believes he is the best in the world and has to prove it against the best. That is the mentality of a fighter who wants to announce himself, not protect a record.

In the ring he is a busy, athletic operator with a proper engine and genuine power, having stopped Shakeel Phinn on the way up. He is not the finished article — few 21-year-olds are — but the tools are there, and he fights with the confidence of a man who expects to be a world champion.

Tonight in front of his own people at the Theatre Capitole, Mathieu gets his sternest test yet. Beat a former world title challenger like Falcao and the Quebecer stops being a prospect and becomes a genuine contender. If you know, you know — this is a name to remember.