Boxing champion Dave Hilton Jr. stood emotionless in court Friday as he was found guilty of sexually assaulting two young girls.

His lawyer immediately applied for bail so that the World Boxing Council super middleweight title holder could train for his next bout.

But the judge denied the request, sending Hilton instead to Riviere-des-Prairies maximum-security detention centre where he will wait until sentencing arguments are heard April 19.

Dave Hilton Jr.
Dave Hilton Jr.

Crown prosecutor Helene Di Salvo called the application for release "almost indecent" given the fact the boxer had been "found guilty of one of the most serious crimes in the Criminal Code."

Hilton was convicted of all nine charges against him, including sexual assault, sexual interference and inviting sexual touching. He could face 10 years in prison.

In delivering her verdict, Quebec Court Judge Rolande Matte said both victims were "coherent, logical, spontaneous" and credible while Hilton had a "talent for improvisation."

"I disbelieve the testimony of the accused, and his defence did not raise any significant doubt in my mind," Matte told the court.

The girls who were assaulted in the mid-1990s were sisters, both under the age of 14 at the time. They're now 16 and 17.

Their identities cannot be revealed because they're are protected by court order.

Both teens were relieved by Friday's verdict, the prosecutor told reporters.

Hilton's lawyer, Paul Skolnik, said he might appeal.

"He gave it the good fight and he went down swinging," Skolnik said outside the courthouse. "Unfortunately we didn't win the case but he gave it the good fight."

Hilton, 37, won his super middleweight title in a bout last December when he defeated Dingaan Thobela of South Africa. The World Boxing Council has said Hilton can retain the title until all appeals have been decided upon.

As a world titleholder, Hilton would have been expected to defend his crown by the end of May. He could have earned about $250,000 for another title fight.

Now his agent, Henri Spitzer, says Hilton's boxing career could be over. "If he is sentenced to a long jail term, it's going to be a disaster for his career, that's for sure, Spitzer said Friday. "He is 37 year old, he is not going to get any younger."

Hilton was charged in 1999, accused by two girls of repeated abuse beginning when they were 12 years old. The court was told the abuse began with kissing and progressed to oral sex, masturbation and intercourse.

The trial captured the imagination of the city, home of the legendary "Fighting Hilton Family."

During testimony, Hilton's image took a beating, as he was revealed to be a hard-living, hard-drinking man with a lifestyle often on the seedy side.