Butler Broke Fondjo’s Resistance
Steven Butler stopped Stephane Fondjo in the ninth round on November 13, 2025, at Cabaret du Casino in Montreal. The super middleweight main event featured repeated knockdowns and a determined comeback before Butler secured the technical knockout victory.
A replacement opponent kept the Montreal main event intact
Butler had been scheduled to meet Erik Bazinyan, but an injury again disrupted that matchup. Cameroon-born, Canada-based Fondjo stepped into the assignment and gave the hometown fighter a demanding contest.
The bout headlined an Eye of the Tiger card that also featured Jhon Orobio’s regional title defense. Fondjo entered with fourteen victories, one defeat and one draw, rather than the record of an inexperienced late substitute.
Early knockdowns did not end Fondjo’s challenge
Butler dropped Fondjo in the opening round and again in the second. Those setbacks did not prevent Fondjo from answering back and finding opportunities as the fight developed.
By the later rounds, Butler had swelling around his right eye and was still facing an opponent willing to attack. Another knockdown in the eighth helped Butler regain a firmer grip on the contest.
A ninth-round right hand brought the decisive intervention
Butler hurt Fondjo with a right hand that sent him backward toward the ropes. The referee intervened as the punishment continued, ending the scheduled ten-round fight before the final round.
The victory moved Butler to 37–5–1 with thirty-one knockouts. Fondjo fell to 14–2–1 after a competitive replacement assignment in which his recovery from the early knockdowns prolonged the main event into its closing stages.
Sources
- FIGHTMAG: November 13 Montreal results and records
- PhilBoxing: Eric Armit’s ringside action roundup
- Eye of the Tiger: replacement matchup and event background
