
5/20/06 - article by Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com
Broussard defends his belt against an angry Gibbins
Lafayette's "Bad" Chad Broussard will defend his International Boxing Union world welterweight belt in
his home town, and Homer Gibbins isn't happy about that.
Gibbins lost a close but unanimous decision to Broussard back on Feb. 4 at Blackham Coliseum in a bout to
fill the IBU's vacant welterweight title, and the two will meet again as the featured event on a June 17
professional card at Blackham.
Gibbins didn't pull any punches in a prerecorded interview shown Wednesday at a gathering to promote the card,
which will include at least four Acadiana-area fighters.
"The folks in Louisiana stole from me what was mine," the Atlanta, Ga., veteran said. "This time, the
referee's not going to help him and the judges are not going to help him. I know now the only way I can
win is knock him out, so I'm going to hurt him.
"The last time, he had (referee) Bruce McDaniel, (judges) Kenny Saintes, Rick Exe and Kenny Licata all
in his corner. We're not going to need judges this time. He's either going to quit or I'm going to kill him."
Broussard (54-4, 39 KOs) had not seen the interview until Wednesday's gathering.
"I'm pretty speechless," he said. "Either they're trying to get inside my head, and they don't know I've
got a hard head, or they're just slap crazy."
Broussard's mandatory defense as mandated by the IBU will highlight a card that also includes Scott's Bobby
"The Bayou Bomber" Aucoin (16-0-1, 8 KOs) in a co-main event against a foe to be named for the IBU U.S.
junior welterweight title.
Church Point's Jeremy "The Crusader" Duplechain (5-2, 4 KO's) rematches with Steve Verdin of Cut Off,
who gave him one of his two pro losses, and Blake "The Candyman" Prevost (7-1-1, 4 KOs) of Lawtell
meets James Johnson of Shreveport in the card's other local bouts.
The 35-year-old Broussard enters his first title defense on an eight-fight win streak, but he was less
than pleased with his last two title efforts. He won the IBU intercontinental title with a June 2005
unanimous decision over Danny Reyes, and had three easy knockout victories prior to claiming the world
title over Gibbins in February.
"Pathetic, pitiful, embarrassing, that's what I was in those two fights," he said. "I was horrible.
If I don't fight any better than I did last time, nobody will ever have to pay a dime to watch me
fight again. I'm either gonna go or I'm gonna blow.
"But I've watched the DVD of that fight (with Gibbins) so many times it's flat, and I know I won. This
guy has now pissed me off. He's spit in my face, he's spit in all of your faces and he's spit in the
faces of the Louisiana Boxing Commission. He's not going to come into my house and disrespect me.''
These belts are never leaving this city."
Article published May 19, 2006
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