Marie-Pier Houle is the Canadian boxer who made the headlines following the death of 18-year-old Mexican boxer Jeanette Zapata after their bout.
Houle had debuted her career in 2017 yet by 2021, the unfortunate incident threatened her future stake in boxing. The Canadian-born boxer fights in the welterweight division and has secured 11 wins in the 14 fights.
Who Is Marie-Pier Houle?
Marie-Pier Houle is renowned for her series of boxing wins ever since her debut match in 2019 against Maria Guadalupe Duran. She was born on August 15, 1990, in Cap de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada.
According to her boxing records, she billed from Terrebonne, Quebec. The boxer has managed to keep other details about her personal life private.
Marie-Pier Houle Almost Left Boxing After The Death of Jeanette Zapata
Houle became a target for social media torment after her opponent, Jeanette Zapata died. Many accused her of killing Jeanette Zapata who was 18 years old at the time.
As per the reports, both fighters had an intense bout during the GYM Gala International Boxing Event. However, they could not complete the sixth round of the bout as Houle knocked out Zapata in the fourth round.
The 18-year-old went into a seizure and was later put into an artificial coma following the fight and died five days later on September 2, 2021. Houle sent out her sympathies to the family of Zapata and most especially her husband. Yet, she came under attack and was on the verge of cracking due to the insults. Following this, she shut down her social media accounts.
However, she returned to the gym in August to continue her career and has since fought with Yamila Esther Reynoso and Valentina Keri. Like Zapata, some boxers who died after fights include;
- Jimmy Doyle(1947)
- Leavander Johnson(2005)
- Mike Towell(2016)
- Roman Simakov(2011)
- Scott Westgarth(2018)
- Patrick Day(2019)
- Maxim Dadashev(2019)
Other Elusive Facts About The Welter Weight Boxer
1. Marie-Pier Has Not Lost A Fight Since She Turned Professional
The welterweight boxer has a winning steak that is undefeated as of this writing. Ever since her professional debut in 2019 against Maria Guadalupe Duran, she has won 7 matches so far.
Of these seven matches, 4 were won through Unanimous Decisions, two were through technical knockouts while her match against Dolores Hernandez ended in a draw.
Her next match in July 2022 will be a test for her. If she loses this match, it will break her running winning streak.
2. She Was Encouraged To Move On With Her Career By Gaëtan Hart
One of Houle’s career down points is the death of an opponent. While boxing is considered a dangerous sport due to brain injuries and death, no athlete would like to be associated with the death of an opponent.
Someone who understood her dilemma was Gaëtan Hart, a successful boxer that was once in her shoes. According to an interview, Hart gave her a phone call that encouraged her to continue with her career by moving beyond the death of an opponent.
In his case, Gaëtan Hart had a career-altering moment after his opponent, Cleveland Denny died 16 days after he was knocked out by Hart in 1980. The former Canadian lightweight and welterweight fighter is said to have put another boxer, Ralph Racine in a coma three weeks prior to his fight with Denny. Luckily for Racine, he survived it.
3. A Look Into Her Love Life
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Despite the misfortunes and rigors of her career, the boxer has an interesting love life. Moreso, it also answers the rumors regarding her gender and sexuality. Marie-Pier Houle is dating Phillipe Farley.
He is a construction and sports lawyer. As per her relationship with Phillipe, she posts regular updates of their activities on her social media some of which include baseball games in which they share a common interest in.
The celebrity boyfriend is enthusiastic about sports going by his Instagram bio which lists boxing, MMA, Hiking, and weightlifting as his interests.
4. Marie-Pier Houle Was Comforted By Jeanetes Zapata’a Husband
The 33 year old met with members of Zapata’s family following the unfortunate event. Zapata’s husband, Jovanni Martinez encouraged her to continue fighting since it was not her fault.
Though many sources state Martinez to be her husband, there are other sources who claim he was an improvised trainer for Zapata. Whatever the case, he and Houle attended the memorial service held for Zapata together.
See Also: What Is The Hardest Sport – 10 That Are Not The Easiest To Play
5. Her Fight With Jeanette Zapata Could Have Been Avoided
In an interview with Jeanette’s father, Zacarias Zapata, he revealed that she was not in good health to fight the Montreal bout with Marie-Pier. Her father who was back home in Mexico had followed the ill-fated match via a Facebook page and witnessed the final blows that landed on his daughter.
Zapata apparently had been in several knockouts prior to meeting Houle and doctors had suggested she may need head surgery. Yet, when her father and coaches tried dissuading she defended her passion for the sport.
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