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By becoming the undisputed light heavyweight champion following his victory over Dmitrii Bivol on October 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Montrealer of Russian origin Artur Beterbiev secured a place in the Hall of Fame of professional boxing.
No need for a final victory against Darkito, Wilibed or even worse Jake Paul to cement his place among the immortals alongside former undisputed light heavyweight champions Michael Spinks and Roy Jones Jr. Beterbiev had the upper hand over absolutely all of his contemporaries – Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Joe Smith Jr. and Bivol if I had to choose three.
But behind every great boxer there is a trainer and Beterbiev’s triumph also allowed Marc Ramsay to reach another important milestone in an impressive career, which took off when he led Jean Pascal to conquer a light heavyweight title in 2009. Is that enough to open the doors to Canastota for him? RDS.ca investigated.
“The question deserves to be asked,” concedes the president of Eye of the Tiger and ex-protege of Ramsay Antonin Décarie. Jean was a good champion, but he’s not a guy who has a ticket straight to the Hall of Fame. The last time there was a unified light heavyweight champion, it was Jones. (Marc) is still young, there are plenty of things he can still accomplish. Right now, it’s certainly worth thinking about…”
” Certainly! No doubt, says Eye of the Tiger promoter and owner Camille Estephan, who hired Ramsay as director of development and head coach in 2021. How many coaches can mention that they brought in a champion undisputed at 175 pounds in the entire history of professional boxing?
“It’s masterful what he accomplished, it’s masterful for Quebec boxing. We are blessed to have him at Eye of the Tiger. We have reached a whole new level since he arrived. »
“Marc Ramsay is without a doubt the best trainer in the history of boxing here,” adds promoter Yvon Michel. There is nothing like what he did. He started with Jean and there was David Lemieux, Eleider Alvarez and Oscar Rivas… he directed Artur from start to finish. He knew how to have the necessary tact to surround himself well and maintain Artur’s confidence. I hope his name is on the ballot soon. He fully deserves his place. »
“No, no, no,” replies the main person concerned, making sure to change the subject. I’m not very much in the past and I have no plans to retire. (Jhon) Orobio and (Moreno) Fendero are really interesting projects. There are big fights coming up for Christian (Mbilli) as well. And we must obviously not forget… Artur! »
“Marc’s expertise is at the same level as that of coaches who are already at the Temple like Angelo Dundee, Freddie Roach or Emmanuel Steward,” recalls Michel. He even did much more than all these coaches with much less resources. There were some very good coaches in Quebec, but it remained regional. Marc is at their level.
“Like all coaches, he is a missionary. His greatest strength is knowing himself, knowing his strengths and weaknesses, knowing his limits. He knew how to surround himself, he has a good team. Even with Beterbiev, he agreed that John Scully should come into the picture. He’s not a guy with a big ego. He focuses on the task. »
“He’s someone who surrounds himself very well,” says his assistant Samuel Décarie-Drolet with a smile. He’s already looked for guys like Pedro Diaz and Roy Jones Jr. to surround himself with. He gives himself the means to achieve his ambitions and remains on the lookout for absolutely everything that is happening. He is very alert, more than most coaches. He wants to find champions. »
“Beterbiev has had different promoters since the start of his career, but Marc has always stayed and gained his trust,” concludes Michel. He is building an extremely enviable reputation. He knows what to do to supervise talent and develop it. »
“It’s true,” Estephan offers as a final word. He does the job and doesn’t hide behind the curtains. There is no hypocrisy in this gentleman. It’s really a real deal. »