Photo: Vincent Ethier – Mehmet Unal (9-0, 8 KOs), all smiles, proudly displaying the colors of his adopted home, Quebec.
It’s not a recent phenomenon for elite amateur boxers to choose Quebec to launch their professional careers. Some come solely to box – and that’s perfectly fine – while others also come to build their lives around the sport. The latest in this lineage: Mehmet Unal.
“Where I come from, in Turkey, you’ll never be Turkish if you’re not born there. I also lived in Germany for four years, but even there, I was always just a visitor. Here, it’s different; Quebecers welcomed me with open arms, and I immediately felt at home,” says the pride of Anada, Turkey, proudly representing Quebec, from Montreal to Trois-Rivières, for over a year now.
Thanks to a solid amateur career crowned by a participation in the Rio Olympics in 2016, Mehmet Unal signed with Eye of the Tiger in July 2021. After competing in his first four fights in Mexico, as part of the Commando series during the pandemic, he finally moved to Montreal in March 2023.
Two great stories quickly emerged.
The love story
The first is that even before fighting his first match in “La Belle Province,” the ‘Last Ottoman’ (with a tender heart) first found love. The love of hockey and the “real” kind, Marie-Claude Poulin.
“I often went to the Trois-Rivières Lions games with [François Pratte], and she often sang the national anthem there. He introduced us, and it started like that,” says the fan of the Shawinigan Cataractes, where his girlfriend, director of promotions and marketing at Énergie and Rouge FM, also sings.
Since then, the couple celebrated their first year together in April. The light heavyweight hope thus divides his time between Maurice and the metropolis, where – for a little more privacy – he got himself a solo apartment after a few months of living with Jhon Orobio. It’s a beautiful story, and we refer you to Matthew Vachon’s article «Histoire d’amour et de boxe» in Le Nouvelliste to discover more.
Now back to boxing
On May 25th, Mehmet Unal’s two worlds will collide as he fights for the first time in his native Maurician land, at the Gervais Auto Center in Shawinigan. In front of his large fan club, he will face a big challenge, Rodolfo Gomez Jr (14-7-3, 10 KOs), in his first 10-round fight of his career.
Don’t judge the Texan too harshly based on his record; in his last fight, he came within one round of surprising world contender Ahmed Elbiali (23-1, 18 KOs). Never having been stopped, he has notably gone the distance with Diego Pacheco and Lester Martinez, as well as defeating former glory Ricardo Mayorga. In fact, an attempt was even made to match him against Imam Khataev last January before an injury intervened.
“He’s always very competitive… This is by far the toughest test Mehmet has faced!” emphasizes Marc Ramsay, the trainer of the main interested party.
This fight will be the 6th for the 31-year-old boxer in less than 9 months. This impressive level of activity has been acquired in Gatineau, Montreal, Quebec, and soon Shawinigan, so it’s not surprising that Unal is starting to handle French quite well.
The Dodge Ramsay
Due to his age and the physical maturity he has already achieved, we opt for the fast track with the Olympian. In the ring, he takes this path with a style that is uniquely his own.
“When you watch him box, you think he’s not a Lamborghini, but a Dodge Ram,” said Punching Grace commentator Nicolas Martineau, after seeing Unal offer eight rounds of volume and power against the tough Facundo Galovar last March.
When asked about this comparison, Mehmet Unal found it funny but also not entirely untrue.
“Amateur and professional boxing are two different worlds. In amateur boxing, speed is more important, but in the pros, it’s more about power and conditioning to be able to use it. I have both of these elements, and I think they can take me far,” says the boxer, agreeing with his bosses.
“It’s said that his style is made for professionals, but when you think that he made it to the Olympics in the amateur ranks, you realize his potential is limitless,” said Antonin Décarie last January, a few days before the “Dodge Ram” rolled over Italian champion Dragan Lepei in less than a round.
Will we see a performance as explosive of May 25?
Hopefully, no one has ever compared ‘Cobrita’ Gomez to a speed bump…
