Latest news with #Thibeault
Boston Globe
10-07-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
With LGBTQ rights under attack, R.I. hiking group provides community, sanctuary
Thibeault, who lives in Providence, said she launched the group about four years ago amid the pandemic. 'I was feeling pretty isolated,' she said. So she began looking for a way to find community, and getting outside seemed like a safe option. On social media, she asked if there were any Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up So she did, and about 15 people showed up for the first hike. Advertisement 'It was kind of like, 'Oh, we're onto something,' ' Thibeault said. 'There's clearly this need.' Now, the group is hiking two to four times per month, depending on the season. And now, amid a 'I think merely by existing we're being activists, especially in today's current climate,' Thibeault said. 'I could kind of get scared and hide, or show up for my community. I think I'm choosing the latter because it's so important just to say, 'Hey, we exist, we're here. We're your neighbors, we're your friends, we're your family.'' Advertisement The organizers wear Queer Hike T-shirts and patches with a logo of a raccoon with a bandana around its neck. 'As a woman and as a queer person, I don't know that I feel the most comfortable just walking around the woods by myself, especially wearing a shirt that says 'Queer' right on it,' Thibeault said. 'But I try to put on a brave face and say, 'This is important, and I'm gonna wear it.' ' Sylvia Vaccaro, who helps plan the hikes, said, 'They want to fracture and isolate. So coming together in any capacity, even if it's purely for fun, even if we're not like organizing or being super politically active, just being together is already like forming those bonds.' Sharon LeBeau, who began coming to the hikes a few years ago, said, 'It's nice just to be around your people and to feel safe — to have a safe space occasionally to kind of recharge." The hike took place soon after the 'I think it's just another example of them trying to remove queer people from public life,' Henderson said. 'Removing a suicide hotline is particularly nefarious because it's removing resources from folks who are clearly in crisis. I just think it's a very cowardly move. And it does make me in some way think: How can we as a group fill that void?' The hike took part one day after the Advertisement 'We as queer people exist, regardless of other folks' desires for us not to,' Henderson said. 'Here we are. We're all going to gather, and we're all going to go on a hike. And we're going to continue to exist regardless if they are going to tell our stories or not.' In December, LeBeau said some of the younger hikers have no idea what it was like for queer people in the 1980s, when she was a teenager. She said she recently told someone that Pride events weren't parades back then — they were rallies for LGBTQ rights. 'I think a lot of people are in a place where they take their freedoms for granted,' LeBeau said. 'With the way things are right now, the feeling that it could very easily go back to that, it's unnerving.' LeBeau had this advice for some of the younger hikers: 'You have to stick together, and you have to stand up for each other.' Thibeault said that's the idea. 'It's important for queer adults and allies to make some noise and say, 'We're here,' 'We're here to support you,'' she said. 'Sure, federally things are not great, but I think that's where there's an opportunity for the local communities to step in and and really band together.' To get the latest episode each week, follow Rhode Island Report podcast , , and other podcasting platforms, or listen in the player above. Advertisement Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
Hamilton Spectator
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Canadian middleweight Tamm Thibeault excited to be fighting at Madison Square Garden
No stranger to big fights as a two-time Olympian and former world amateur champion, Canadian boxer Tammara (Tamm) Thibeault looks forward to stepping into the ring Friday at Madison Square Garden. The 28-year-old middleweight from Shawinigan, Que., will be in good company in New York on the all-female card airing on Netflix. Most Valuable Promotions says the show will set a Guinness World Record for most world championship belts contested on a single fight card, male or female, with 17 world titles on the line across five bouts. 'Who knew that I'd be on such a big platform so quickly?' said Thibeault, who has fought just twice as a pro. 'But I'm honoured and I'm excited to be part of such an iconic card.' MVP was founded in 2021 by YouTuber-turned-fighter Jake Paul and Canadian sports entrepreneur Nakisa Bidarian, with Paul boxing as well as promoting. Thibeault signed on in December, just ahead of her pro debut. 'Nice guy,' Thibeault said of Paul. 'Very entrepreneurial, very brave and bold in the way that he does things. I really like that about him and the company.' The MSG main event sees Ireland Katie Tayl (24-1-0) put her undisputed super-lightweight title on the line against Puerto Rican Amanda (The Real Deal) Serrano (47-3-1), the unified featherweight world champion, in a trilogy fight. In boxing lingo, undisputed means holding all the titles in the four championship belt era simultaneously. Taylor holds the WBA, WBO, WBC and IBF crowns at 140 pounds Unified means holding more than one belt in the division simultaneously (but not all four). Taylor won the first two meetings with Serrano, by split decision in April 2022 at Madison Square Garden and by unanimous decision in November 2024 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Thibeault (2-0-0) takes on American Mary Casamassa (6-0-0), ranked the No. 1 contender at 160 pounds by the WBC and IBF and No. 1 among super-middleweights (168 pounds) by the WBA and WBO, in an eight-round bout. For the third time for Thibeault, the fight will be contested with three-minute rounds. Thibeault is ranked No. 4 by the WBA and WBO, No. 5 by the IBF and No. 8 by the WBC. Thibeault is currently based in England, where she is a few months away from completing her master's degree in urban design and urban planning. She earned her BA in the same discipline from Concordia University. She laughs when asked if she is good at time management. 'Some days. Some days not so much,' she said. 'I think everything has its time. Sometimes I prioritize university. Sometimes I prioritize boxing. It just really depends on where I am in terms of both.' Living in Europe was also 'a bucket-list thing.' 'Being able to travel the world, see something different, different cultures, different countries. Just expand a little bit my world view,' she said. Also on the card, Canadian Jessica (The Cobra) Camara (14-4-1) faces England's WBC interim super-lightweight champion Chantelle (Il Capo) Cameron (20-1-0). Camara, a native of Cambridge, Ont., now based out of Montreal, fought England's Caroline Dubois for the WBC lightweight title last time out in January in a bout that ended in a technical draw due to a clash of heads. Thibeault opened her pro career in December in Orlando with a four-round decision over Natasha (The Nightmare) Spence of Cambridge, Ont. In March, she recorded a first-round knockout of American Sonya Dreiling in Toronto in a scheduled six-round bout. After fighting three-minute rounds as an amateur, Thibeault says it just felt right to stay the course as a pro. 'I want to be a trailblazer in my sport,' she said. 'If this is the way to do it, then so be it.' She is glad women have a choice to fight two- or three-minute rounds as pros. Sport runs in her family. Father Patrick Thibeault, a receiver out of Saint Mary's University, played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders after being selected in the third round (20th overall) of the 2002 CFL draft. It was in Regina that Tamm started boxing at age nine, inspired by her father's off-season training regime. 'I definitely fell in love with it quickly,' said the six-footer. 'I also didn't know how far it would take me, to be honest. Being able to make a career out of it is not something that I anticipated.' The sport really grabbed hold of her when women's boxing was added to the Olympic program for the 2012 Games in London. Thibeault reached the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics and went on to win a world amateur title in 2022, as well as gold medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2023 Pan Am Games. At the Paris Olympics, she dropped a split decision in the round of 16 to Cindy Ngamba — a Cameroonian representing the Olympic Refugee Team — who went on to win bronze. Thibeault is technically still eligible to compete at the Olympics, but hasn't decided whether she'll make a third run at gold. —- This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025 Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canadian middleweight Tamm Thibeault excited to be fighting at Madison Square Garden
No stranger to big fights as a two-time Olympian and former world amateur champion, Canadian boxer Tammara (Tamm) Thibeault looks forward to stepping into the ring Friday at Madison Square Garden. The 28-year-old middleweight from Shawinigan, Que., will be in good company in New York on the all-female card airing on Netflix. Most Valuable Promotions says the show will set a Guinness World Record for most world championship belts contested on a single fight card, male or female, with 17 world titles on the line across five bouts. 'Who knew that I'd be on such a big platform so quickly?' said Thibeault, who has fought just twice as a pro. 'But I'm honoured and I'm excited to be part of such an iconic card.' MVP was founded in 2021 by YouTuber-turned-fighter Jake Paul and Canadian sports entrepreneur Nakisa Bidarian, with Paul boxing as well as promoting. Thibeault signed on in December, just ahead of her pro debut. 'Nice guy,' Thibeault said of Paul. 'Very entrepreneurial, very brave and bold in the way that he does things. I really like that about him and the company.' The MSG main event sees Ireland Katie Tayl (24-1-0) put her undisputed super-lightweight title on the line against Puerto Rican Amanda (The Real Deal) Serrano (47-3-1), the unified featherweight world champion, in a trilogy fight. In boxing lingo, undisputed means holding all the titles in the four championship belt era simultaneously. Taylor holds the WBA, WBO, WBC and IBF crowns at 140 pounds Unified means holding more than one belt in the division simultaneously (but not all four). Taylor won the first two meetings with Serrano, by split decision in April 2022 at Madison Square Garden and by unanimous decision in November 2024 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Thibeault (2-0-0) takes on American Mary Casamassa (6-0-0), ranked the No. 1 contender at 160 pounds by the WBC and IBF and No. 1 among super-middleweights (168 pounds) by the WBA and WBO, in an eight-round bout. For the third time for Thibeault, the fight will be contested with three-minute rounds. Thibeault is ranked No. 4 by the WBA and WBO, No. 5 by the IBF and No. 8 by the WBC. Thibeault is currently based in England, where she is a few months away from completing her master's degree in urban design and urban planning. She earned her BA in the same discipline from Concordia University. She laughs when asked if she is good at time management. 'Some days. Some days not so much,' she said. 'I think everything has its time. Sometimes I prioritize university. Sometimes I prioritize boxing. It just really depends on where I am in terms of both.' Living in Europe was also 'a bucket-list thing.' 'Being able to travel the world, see something different, different cultures, different countries. Just expand a little bit my world view,' she said. Also on the card, Canadian Jessica (The Cobra) Camara (14-4-1) faces England's WBC interim super-lightweight champion Chantelle (Il Capo) Cameron (20-1-0). Camara, a native of Cambridge, Ont., now based out of Montreal, fought England's Caroline Dubois for the WBC lightweight title last time out in January in a bout that ended in a technical draw due to a clash of heads. Thibeault opened her pro career in December in Orlando with a four-round decision over Natasha (The Nightmare) Spence of Cambridge, Ont. In March, she recorded a first-round knockout of American Sonya Dreiling in Toronto in a scheduled six-round bout. After fighting three-minute rounds as an amateur, Thibeault says it just felt right to stay the course as a pro. 'I want to be a trailblazer in my sport,' she said. 'If this is the way to do it, then so be it.' She is glad women have a choice to fight two- or three-minute rounds as pros. Sport runs in her family. Father Patrick Thibeault, a receiver out of Saint Mary's University, played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders after being selected in the third round (20th overall) of the 2002 CFL draft. It was in Regina that Tamm started boxing at age nine, inspired by her father's off-season training regime. 'I definitely fell in love with it quickly,' said the six-footer. 'I also didn't know how far it would take me, to be honest. Being able to make a career out of it is not something that I anticipated.' The sport really grabbed hold of her when women's boxing was added to the Olympic program for the 2012 Games in London. Thibeault reached the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics and went on to win a world amateur title in 2022, as well as gold medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2023 Pan Am Games. At the Paris Olympics, she dropped a split decision in the round of 16 to Cindy Ngamba — a Cameroonian representing the Olympic Refugee Team — who went on to win bronze. Thibeault is technically still eligible to compete at the Olympics, but hasn't decided whether she'll make a third run at gold. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
Midwest City man arrested on multiple charges of alleged child pornography
MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (KFOR) — On Thursday, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) arrested a man on multiple alleged child pornography charges. OSBI's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit (ICAC) received an online cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) back in August of 2024. During the investigation, special agents with OSBI were able to identify the alleged suspect as 18-year-old Andrew Thibeault. According to OSBI, on April 10, 2025, a search warrant was served at Thibeault's home in Midwest City by the OSBI ICAC Unit, the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office, and the Oklahoma City Community College Police Department. The evidence gathered during the search warrant process led to Thibeault's arrest, he was booked into the Oklahoma County Jail on charges of Child Exploitation and Violation of the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act. OSBI says this is an ongoing investigation. Anyone who suspects a child is being sexually exploited is asked to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-LOST or by submitting an online tip here. You can also contact OSBI's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit at (800) 522-8017 or by emailing tips@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
05-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Canadian Tammara Thibeault launching pro boxing career at time of profound change for fight industry
Social Sharing When Tammara Thibeault is on a roll, she punctuates her thoughts with English phrases she didn't learn growing up in Shawinigan, Que. She might say, "d'you know woh I mean?" just to make sure you know what she means. Or she'll finish an occasional sentence with "innit?", short of "isn't It?", which our friends in England employ the way Canadians use "eh?" The speaker isn't really asking a question. Just making an observation. If you have lost track of the 28-year-old Thibeault since her first-round exit at the Olympic boxing tournament in Paris last summer, she hasn't disappeared. She just moved to Sheffield, England to immerse herself in academic work where she's pursuing her masters degree in urban design and urban planning. Before she found urban planning, Thibeault studied linguistics, which means she's aware of how a transatlantic move, and immersion in a new dialect, would shape her spoken English. And boxing? The 2023 Pan Am Games champion is still immersed in the sweet science, training daily at the Steel City gym in Sheffield as she embarks on a pro career that brings her back to Canada this week. Friday night at the Toronto Casino Resort, Thibeault takes on Sonya Dreiling in a six-round bout on the undercard of a lightweight clash between Lucas Bahdi of Niagara Falls and Ryan James Racaza of the Philippines. For Thibeault, the bout is a showcase, a homecoming, and an overdue reunion with some other decorated Canadian amateurs, like Bahdi and Toronto's Sara Bailey, now chasing professional success. "I get to come home, and I'm proud to represent Canada on home soil," said Thibeault, who is 1-0 as a professional. "I get to fight alongside old teammates. Lucas Bahdi. Sara Bailey. We all travelled together." Thibeault is launching her career at a time of profound change for the professional boxing industry. WATCH | Why Thibeault turned pro: Canadian Olympic boxer Tammara Thibeault turns pro 3 months ago Duration 7:26 Follow the money On the men's side, promoters and top performers have followed the money to Saudi Arabia, where Turki Alalshikh, the sport's newest, richest power broker, has bankrolled star-studded events. Last month Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the super middleweight champion and the sport's biggest pay-per-view draw, signed a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, the Saudi cultural festival pumping its sponsorship dollars into boxing, marking another significant shift in the sport's balance of power. Meanwhile, some North American promoters are investing heavily in women's boxing, raising the sport's profile and pay scale, and benefitting several Canadian fighters. Michigan-based Salita Promotions is a case in point. Regardless of gender their highest-profile performer is Claressa Shields, the two-time Olympic gold medallist and undefeated pro world champ. In 2022 Shields defeated Savannah Marshall in a middleweight title bout, one of just two women's fights in history to offer both headliners seven-figure guarantees. But her promoter, Dmitry Salita has also matched Shields with Canadian opponents — Marie-Eve Dicaire in 2021 and Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in last summer — and in January, Salita added Caroline Veyre of Montreal to his stable. Another example is Most Valuable Promotions, the outfit founded in 2021 by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, and the company behind the other multimillion-dollar women's bout, the 2022 showdown between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor at Madison Square Gardens. They signed Thibeault to a promotional contract after the Paris Olympics, and they're staging Friday's fight card, in collaboration with Ajax-based United Promotions. Bidarian, who grew up in Toronto, says the company's boxing braintrust identified Thibeault as a future star. Her amateur accolades signaled a successful pro career, and her outside-the-ring interests hint at crossover appeal. "The ideal world is, you have the skills, and you have the skill set to sell the skills," Bidarian said. "A perfect world is, you have those, and you're an unbelievably accomplished individual outside the ring. That's what Tamm is. That's what has me so excited." Focus on women's boxing Biarian says MVP's focus on women's boxing stems from his own time as an executive at the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which coincided with Ronda Rousey's run as the top-selling, highest-earning athlete in the organization. So while closing the pay gap between men's and women's stars is one of MVP's goals, the promotion is also working to normalize both sets of athletes using the same rules. In mixed martial arts, men and women both fight five-minute rounds. But where rules mandate three-minute rounds for men's boxers, women generally contest two-minute rounds. In 2023 MVP introduced three-minute rounds for women's bouts, starting with Serrano's title defense against Danila Ramos. "This is history," Serrano told ESPN afterward. "We made history together and I'm just excited to see the future of women's boxing." MVP's immediate plans for Thibeault include three-minute rounds – the round length employed for her pro debut, a four-round decision over fellow Canadian Natasha Spence. Medium term, they intend to feature her on the undercard of their higher-profile events, to increase her visibility. But long term, the lack of a middle class among women's boxers complicates the process of finding appropriate opponents. Thibeault ranked 6th Thibeault, for example, is the sixth-ranked middleweight in the world, according to Boxrec, the boxing stats database. Her opponent, Dreiling, is rated number 17, but the entire weight class includes just 40 fighters worldwide. In contrast, the men's middleweight division includes 1,994 registered pros. A matchup between the sixth and 17th-ranked men's fighters is a high-stakes showdown with world title implications. On the women's side it's an undercard bout between Thibeault, a prospect with a single pro fight to her credit, and Dreiling, who has a 5-7 record and a four-fight losing streak. That lack of depth helps explain why Shields has won world titles in five weight classes. She needs to move between categories to find a challenge. But that set up also puts talented prospects like Thibeault in a difficult position: fatten your record against overmatched challengers, head straight into a title fight without appropriate seasoning, or find a way to lure other contenders into about. "The onus on us is to put Tamm in positions where opponents are willing to take that risk," Bidarian said. And Thibeault's main challenge these days? Managing her time and energy to give both her education and her boxing career the effort they deserve. Thibeault says she uses a spreadsheet to help her allocate hours to each pursuit, but she has also learned that balance also means prioritizing one over the other for stretches. Right now, she says boxing is job one. But that'll change. "Sometimes you've gotta put boxing first," Thibeault said. "Once this fight is over I'm going to give it a good push for my masters, and put education first until the next opportunity."
