6/19/06 - article by Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com
Broussard takes vicious hit in loss
It was far from the ending that Chad Broussard had envisioned.
On all fours, looking at the canvas, with no chance of beating referee Russell Naquin's count,
in front of a shocked crowd of 3,000 that had come to Blackham Coliseum to see their hometown
favorite defend his International Boxing Union welterweight title.
Now, that group may have seen his last fight, thanks to a vicious body attack by Homer Gibbins,
and one punch in particular that ended Broussard's four-month reign as IBU champion.
"I don't know if I'm in this or not," Broussard said only minutes after Gibbins' fourth-round knockout
victory in Saturday's main event of the "Do Or Die" pro card. "Really, if I can't get up any
better than I did for this ..."
Gibbins, who had lost a unanimous decision to Broussard in that same Blackham Coliseum ring in
February, left little doubt as to the outcome after the first round. Broussard won the first
round 10-9 on all three judges' cards, but Gibbins forced the action over the next three rounds
and Broussard continually found his back against the ring ropes.
Broussard also continually missed landing big shots while coming off the ropes, and Gibbins made
him pay for one of those mistakes near the end of the second round when a right to the body
and a left hook left the local fighter sitting on the canvas.
Gibbins continued to force Broussard to the ropes and administer punishment in the third and fourth
rounds, and just over two minutes into the fourth round caught Broussard bouncing off the ropes
with a straight right hand just under the rib cage. Broussard went to his hands and knees and
stayed there through the 10-count.
"Give him credit, he's a very good defensive fighter," Gibbins said. "But if you get hit enough
you're eventually going to make a mistake."
The 36-year-old Gibbins may or may not defend the IBU title, but he said the Saturday victory
could turn around his lengthy career. And he didn't rule out returning to Lafayette for a future fight.
"It's a wonderful thing for me," he said. "Now I have a chance to make some money through fighting
and support my daughter the way I should and be a good father to her.
"I'd like for Lafayette to be a second home for a while. They've put on some good shows here
and the fans are very supportive. I'd love to come back here again."
Broussard's immediate future isn't so clear.
"He (Gibbins) brought it tonight and I didn't," said Broussard, who had won eight straight bouts
entering Saturday. "I know I'm a better fighter than he is, but I couldn't get anything going
now either time we fought. I was in good shape and I had a lot of good sparring, but maybe
I'm not ready to make the sacrifices you have to make to win."
Scott's Bobby "The Bayou Bomber" Aucoin was able to continue his winning streak in Saturday's
co-main event, and also claimed the IBU's U.S. junior welterweight title with an abrupt
second-round knockout win over Donnell Logan. Aucoin, now 17-0-1 with nine knockouts in his
career, leveled Logan with a thunderous right hand only seconds before the second-round bell.
Logan's last bout was a draw with unbeaten former U.S. Olympian Chad Aquino (6-0-1), one that
he dominated according to bout reports, making Aucoin's win more impressive.
"It feels really good to get the U.S. title," Aucoin said. "Now it's time to go after the world's
title. It would be great to be able to do that here again, in front of these fans."
Originally published June 19, 2006
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