UBO Flashback: When "Kid Blast" Won His First Title                                         

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October 5, 2020 / BY UBO PRESS OFFICER

Being the younger brother of 2004 Olympic Gold-medalist Yan Barthelemy, who had defected two years earlier and turned pro in 2007, there was plenty of interested in securing the signature of 22-year-old Rances on a pro contract.

With over 200 amateur bouts on his resume, he eventually agreed terms with experienced manager Henry Foster, and made his pro debut in August of 2009, in Columbia, South Carolina, scoring a first round knockout.

Barthelemy raced to a 7-0 (5) record in his first year, including wins over fellow prospects James Owens (4-0) and John Barnes (1-0). On the same card he had his tenth pro outing, in February of 2011 in Miami, younger brother Leduan joined Rances and Yan in the paid ranks.

By the summer of 2011 Rances had improved to 12-0 (10), and deemed ready for his first championship fight.

So on July 29, at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, he was matched with Mexican-born Gerardo Robles (14-9) from Kansas City for the vacant UBO International Lightweight title.

On the same card, promoted by Warriors Boxing and televised by ESPN, fought such notables as Sergey Kovalev, Lamont Peterson, Badou Jack and Edison Miranda.

Robles, who had won his last five outings going in, was not one to just come and lay down, and made a good fight of it. But Barthelemy was the better man, and won a deserved, if not thrilling, unanimous decision.

Five months later, also televised by ESPN, Barthelemy successfully defended the UBO title, scoring another unanimous decision over undefeated Hylon Williams Jr. (15-0).

In 2014 he won the IBF World Super Featherweight title with a victory over Argenis Mendez (21-2-1), and the following year he beat Denis Shafikov (36-1-1) to capture the IBF World Lightweight crown.

Last time out, in April of 2019, he drew with Robert Easter Jr. (21-1) for the vacant WBA and IBO World Lightweight titles, and, now 34 years old, his current record stands at 27-1-1 (14).