Photo: Andréanne Lambert – Marc Ramsay and his two protégés, both members of the top 5 in each of the four federations.
Erik Bazinyan and Christian Mbilli have more than one thing in common. Both box under the banner of Eye of the Tiger Management, train at the Ramsay Boxing Academy, are of the same age, remain undefeated, and aim for the heights at 168 pounds. On October 11, in this nearly identical yet parallel pursuit of excellence, a common factor, or rather an obstacle, will be added to this list – American boxer Ronald Ellis.
“We push each other, help in sparring, and I’m sure that with a coach like Marc Ramsay, a good team like this, the two of us will become world champions,” envisions Bazinyan, who faces Ellis exactly 22 months after the latter surrendered by unanimous decision to ‘Solide.’
Through this experience, the Canado-Armenian corner is undoubtedly more prepared than ever for this rematch. “I’ve already completed a full training camp studying him, and that’s something we’ve revisited here. I’ve seen Ellis up close and live, so I have a lot of information that I didn’t have the first time. I think that’s an advantage because I know his worth well, and therefore, I know what Erik needs to exploit to win,” describes cornerman Marc Ramsay.
Elite locally, elite globally
For the experienced coach, the dynamic of coaching two boxers currently in the top 6 of the four federations in the same weight category is not new, far from it. Back in the light heavyweight division, he simultaneously coached Jean Pascal, Eleider Alvarez, and Artur Beterbiev.
“It helps a lot in training. At one point, as a joke, they said it was harder to win a championship in my gym than a world championship, and that’s somewhat what’s happening with Erik and Christian at the moment,” he reminisces, also citing one of the stable’s most recent additions, Moreno Fendero, who fights at a similar weight and could soon join the duo.
Learning from each other
On his part, Christian Mbilli remembers his duel against Ellis, held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on December 11, 2021. Dominating from start to finish, he was just one round, on a single scorecard, away from whitewashing the American.
“Surely, Erik shouldn’t repeat my mistakes. During this fight, I’d say I lacked a bit of patience. I wanted to hurt him with every blow – it’s in my nature – but naturally, he switched to survival mode, took no more risks, and was there to survive,” he recalls, believing that his teammate will also defeat the tough boxer from Massachusetts, who frequently trains with Canelo Alvarez.
“I think it’s going to be a good fight. Ellis is a solid guy, and we shouldn’t underestimate him either because in boxing, you never know what might happen. But barring accidents, I think Erik has all the abilities to secure a very clear victory,” predicts the Montreal adopted boxer, ahead of this NABA and NABF super middleweight championship.
The Count of 10
Come evening, Erik Bazinyan might not have won every round like his teammate did against Ellis, but he finished the job more swiftly, in the 6th round. With this 31st victory against the American, “Bzo” will now return in front of his fans at the Casino de Montréal on January 25. On this occasion, he will try to win before the 10th round to outperform John Ryder’s performance against the tough Argentine veteran Billi Facundo Godoy (41-7, 20 KOs).
Christian Mbilli, on the other hand, will be in action a few days earlier, on January 13 at the Centre Vidéotron, where he will ensure the undercard of the much-anticipated Beterbiev-Smith fight. Facing him, the Australian ranked 9th in the WBO, Rohan Murdock (27-2, 19 KOs), will try to seize the positional advantage over ‘Solide,’ currently #1 in the WBA and WBC.
