Trainer Marc Ramsay Talks About His New Champion Alvarez: Game Plan Worked To Perfection
By William Trillo
Don’t look now but Montreal, Canada has become the hotbed for Light Heavyweight World Champions. Three of the four major 175 pound titles in boxing reside in Quebec’s Metropolis. Even more remarkable is the fact that one trainer has tutored two of those champs to the very top. That trainer would be Marc Ramsay. That’s quite an accomplishment for Ramsay who has been working with fighters since 1995.
With the dust having settled after Saturday night’s stunning upset of Sergey Kovalev, Pound4Pound had a chance to speak with Ramsay about the special evening. The first thing I wanted to know is what he thought of the scores of the fight at the time of the stoppage. Personally I thought the scores were a bit wide but Ramsay not only agreed with the judges but revealed it was the way he drew it up on the chalkboard. “I think the scores were okay,” stated Ramsay, “In my corner we had Kovalev ahead 4-2, but we were ready to lose some rounds early to get him into later rounds of the fight. I was expecting that Kovalev would lose more energy in the first six rounds and by round seven we could start putting pressure to target a late stoppage or a decision. But as we put more pressure on Kovalev it was too much for him and the fight was over.”
Because Alvarez wasn’t necessarily known as a big puncher it was all the more shocking to see him demolish Kovalev with what was essentially one huge punch. In the aftermath experts and fans have wondered aloud if this was just a fluke or if Alvarez will carry the kind of power with him as he defends his titles. Ramsay confidently stated, “I think anybody who does not respect Alvarez’s power will go down!”
Lastly I couldn’t help but ask Ramsay what was next for his new Champion Alvarez. Would he battle Montreal’s other 175 pound champs, Beterbiev or Stevenson? Ramsay openly and candidly replied, “Beterbiev and Alvarez will never fight, I am the coach of both of them, maybe a fight with Stevenson. But first we need to respect our contract and give Kovalev his rematch.”
Of the two possibilities I think it’s a lot more likely to see the rematch with Kovalev long before we see Adonis step up to the plate to take on Alvarez. The so-called “Superman” has been ducking him for years; there is no reason to believe he will be changing that tune anytime soon.
In the meantime Ramsay will be taking his charges on a wild ride through a Light Heavyweight division stocked full of world class talent. Look for him and his fighters to produce some memorable battles in the coming year.
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