Pointing at Marc Ramsay’s factory of champions was crazy. Mary Spencer posed with her opponent, Belgium’s Femke Hermans. Femke’s manager wanted to meet Arslanbek Makhmudov. The kind gentleman was six feet two inches tall. When Big Makhmudov came to greet him, he could have eaten his head off.
Steven Butler answered questions from Benoît Rioux, Virginie, the dangerous boss of Eye of The Tiger Management, observed while watching that she had missed Mathieu Boulay, German Michael Wallisch answered questions from journalists, while Joshua Conley, Butler’s opponent, waited that it was his turn at the entrance.
Marc Ramsay watched the show prepared for the media and appeared thoughtful. His gym has become a factory of champions.
Yesterday was crowded, but two world champions who were training in the afternoon were missing. Artur Beterbiev and Oscar Rivas. And Christian MBilli was in France with Samuel Décarie as he will fight in Nantes on Saturday night.
A factory that never seems to stand still.
Marc Ramsay has a crazy schedule. Friday night he will be in the corner of Arslanbek Makhmudov in Shawinigan with Russ Anber. The next day, Samuel Décarie and Luc-Vincent Ouellet will be in France with Christian MBilli. Sam and handsome Luc-Vincent are Ramsay’s confidants.
Monday December 19, back from “Shawi”, Ramsay returns to the factory to prepare two world champions.
Oscar Rivas is set to fight heavyweight Efe Ajagba in Verona on January 14 and Artur Beterbiev has a tough date with Anthony Yarde in London on January 28.
animated
“The gym will be full every day until the end of January. We are closing on December 25th and January 1st, that’s it. Artur and Oscar will be in training on December 24th and January 2nd. Then Samuel and Luc-Vincent go to Verona during the week. I will be joining them on Saturday 14th January morning as I need to perfect Artur Beterbiev’s preparation in England in Montreal. We will leave for London around the 18th, a matter of adapting well to the conditions,” Ramsay explains.
And these terms are non-negotiable. Marc Ramsay and attorney Anthony Rudman declined the fight organizers’ offer.
“I demanded a 5-star hotel and my own chef. Artur is Muslim and eats halal. Additionally, we have a strict protocol to produce the weight under optimal conditions, no question of neglecting anything,” Ramsay adds.
I was in Ramsay’s office planning Beterbiev’s trip to London when Arslanbek Makhmudov showed up. His English improved incredibly and he surprised me with open French greetings. We talked about Siberia and the big Lake Baikal. I’ve talked too much
I told him that one of my big dreams was to ride a motorcycle from Moscow to Lake Baikal. A journey of more than 5600 kilometers. It’s playable with Captain Reynald Brière taking care of the map.
Big Mak looked at me like I was fresh out of the asylum. He tried to be polite, but finally blurted out, “Any idea? No gas stations, no houses, hundreds of kilometers in the forest, roads impassable, it’s almost 6000 kilometers. My father did his military service at Lake Baikal when he was 18,” he finally said to discourage me.
I told him… bravely that I was driving the pitted, bumpy, closed and dirty streets of Montreal and that the taiga roads couldn’t be worse. And that I had ridden our Harleys from Vegas to Los Angeles and back to Sainte-Adèle with Lady Ju and Ti-Lou Larouche. A total of 5806 kilometers.
It didn’t impress him. But not all.
Makhmudov told us from one thing to another and from story to story that his dream would be to go wild camping in the middle of the forest in Gaspésie, with no electricity, no nothing. Just a tent and something to make the fire.
I am therefore sending the message to Pascal Bérubé, my favorite deputy, do you know anyone at the end?
