Steve Molitor Fights for Himself and His Brother

Steve Molitor Fights for Himself and His Brother
By Steve Kim (Nov 17, 2008)

It was May 4, 2002 when former amateur standout Jeremy Molitor took the life of another human being and forever altered his. Under a restraining order (for previous abuse) to stay away from his ex-girlfriend, Jessica Nethery, he stabbed the 21-year old waitress 58 times and she would eventually bleed to death in her car. Molitor, whose life had fallen apart after a failed bid for the 2000 Olympics as a Canadian boxer, was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time.

He is currently at the Millhaven Penitentary in Bath, Ontario, serving a life sentence for second-degree murder.

Back then, his brother Steve was an aspiring young prospect who was cutting his teeth as a professional prizefighter. The brothers, who at one time were so close, had gone on divergent paths since they were given the moniker 'the Bruise Brothers' for their exploits as amateurs out of the gyms of Sarnia in the '90's. As the younger brother turned professional, Jeremy turned to a life of drugs and alcohol addiction.

"It's just something I couldn't believe," says Molitor of his brother’s unspeakable and gruesome act. "When you're so close and somebody is your brother and you know him so well and you see that happen, it's almost unbelievable. It's such a tragic event. I had been living in Toronto, two, two-and-a-half years when the event happened. And I was away from my brother. I didn't really know what he was doing, what he was really up to at that time. So it was really a big shock to me."

On that particular day, he would get a call.

“My dad called me, he told me, 'Get your stuff ready. I'm coming to pick you up, you gotta go' and he told me the news. It took him three hours to come get me. I just couldn't believe it. It was just so devastating."

The Molitors were extremely tight as brothers, according to Steve, who is now the IBF jr. featherweight titlist.

"We come from a small city, Sarnia, 70,000 people, we're the only two kids in the family. We did everything together, we were close," he says. "We traveled together, we hung out together. We were best friends and brothers."

And it was Jeremy who introduced him to the harsh, brutal nature of the fight game.

"I can remember the first time we sparred, I thought, 'OK, how tough can it be?' And the beating I took was tremendous. I remember I rode my bike back home, I had blood all over my shirt and all over my face, dried blood. I went home and my mom just started crying. But I was back there the next day, I loved it."

His older brother was good enough to win the 1998 Commonwealth Games as a welterweight. But in the disappointment of not qualifying for the 2000 Olympics, his boxing career would end.

"I always liked the pro game a lot more, he liked the amateurs," explained Molitor, who has a perfect mark at 28-0. "I didn't like the style, the tight defense, the politics. I'm a late starter; if you watch my fights it takes me a while to warm up. So by the time the fight was over, I was getting started."

And just as his pro career was gaining momentum, his brother had begun to throw his life away.

"This is the same guy that I grew up with. He went through, prior to that event that took place, he went through a bad time where he was into drugs and hanging out with the wrong people," says Molitor. "Now he's on the straight and narrow and he's the same guy that I knew when I was 10 years old."

Molitor keeps in contact touch with his sibling at Millhaven. They talk a minimum of three times a week and he visits Jeremy about once a month at the facility, which is located about two hours away from Molitor's home in Toronto.

"Leading up to these fights, he's my biggest fan. So he's calling me constantly," says Molitor of his brother, who is eligible to apply for parole in 2015.

As he talks to him, one thing goes through his mind.

"Heartache, because here's a guy who's not a violent person. Here's a guy who just got mixed up with the wrong people and started doing the wrong things. He did a horrible, horrible thing and it's ruined his life. His life has been taken away from him, now, and it's very heart-breaking."

This Friday night at the Casino Rama in Ontario, Molitor tries to unify his championship against Celestino Caballero, the WBA belt-holder. His brother will try and watch the fight, which is being aired in Canada by TSN, inside prison.

"He's there every step of the way," says Molitor, of his brother’s presence. "I just think of where he is and that just motivates me to make life better for him when he gets out."

Molitor fights, not only for himself, but for his brother, who may never be a free man ever again.

"100-percent, he's the one who got me started. He's the one who's given me the blueprint to be a world champion and he’s living in a maximum prison with killers, and every day he lives through me. I train harder. To beat me inside that ring you almost literally have to kill me. That's not a joke or anything, or trying to be cocky or trying to be like someone else, it's just the way it is."

SHOBOX STATEMENT

This fight versus Caballero on Friday will be Molitor's first real exposure to the US audience, as it is being broadcast by Showtime as part of their 'ShoBox' series (11 pm ET/PT).
"I just want to show America and the rest of the world that's watching that I'm a slick, explosive, smart, fighter, and that there is a legit world-class fighter here in Canada," he says.

It's also a golden opportunity to make a statement that he is, alongside the likes of Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez, among the elite boxers in the 122-pound class.

"I'd love to fight the winner of Vazquez-Marquez," he says, assuming they do battle for a fourth time. "But I think Vazquez will win; he's bigger and stronger and I think overall he's the better fighter. And I would love to fight him to find out who the real king is. This is stage one, we'll take care of stage two and then stage three will be the winner of both fights."

M.I.A. MARGARITO

I've gotten plenty of emails from you guys wondering what is going on with Antonio Margarito and his proposed fight against Shane Mosley. And the answer is, I really don't know. In fact, nobody really knows, as it seems as though Margarito has gone M.I.A. recently and has become impossible to reach - even for his own management.

Antonio, where are you? To paraphrase Phil Collins (and yeah, I like Phil Collins, so what?): Tony, Tony don't you lose our numbers, 'cause you're not anywhere, where we can find you.

I opened up the Sunday paper and I opened up the comic section and I see a new strip: Where's Waldorito?

If anyone knows the whereabouts of 'the Tijuana Tornado' please email me at k9kim@yahoo.com.

FINAL FLURRIES

That matchup between pretenders Grady Brewer and Cornelius Bundrage may have been the worst fight I've seen all year....BTW, Jaidon Codrington is Ja-Done as a fighter. His legs are gone and he just doesn't look like he should be in there anymore.....No surprises in Jermain Taylor-Jeff Lacy on Saturday night. Taylor was the much fresher fighter and his jab-right-cross combo pretty much controlled the action....What's going on with Power 106's 'Aqua Net Set on Fridays? I'm hearing waaaay too much techno and new wave and not nearly enough Stevie B, Expose, Lisa Lisa, Dino, and CoverGirls recently.....Cant' wait for Texas Tech-OU in Norman on Saturday night. The Big Dozen has had some classic games this season....On Friday night in Montebello at the Quiet Cannon, All-Star Boxing has another show featuring the return of Jose Navarro and Espinoza Boxing Club prospects Manny Roman and Jesus Hernandez..... Tell me it ain't so, Will Smith is doing a remake of Karate Kid? C'mon you can't improve perfection. This is so wrong on many levels. Pat Morita must be rolling over in his grave...

For Questions or Comments
E-Mail Steve: k9kim@maxboxing.com

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