Eye of the Tiger Management might not have the hype of other promoters, but the Canadian promotional entity is building a powerhouse roster.
From Christian Mbilli to up-and-comers like Moreno Fendero, Jhon Orobio and Wyatt Sanford, Eye of the Tiger has stealthily built up a world-class stable of action fighters.
Instrumental in the development of Eye of the Tiger is Marc Ramsay, who might be best known for his work with Artur Beterbiev, Mbilli and David Lemieux. Ramsay, who has the official title of director of boxing operations, has served as a head recruiter and has a keen eye for talent.
“I don’t know anyone who watches more amateur boxing than Marc Ramsay,” broadcaster Corey Erdman told BoxingScene. “If he is not training fighters, I seem to believe he is sitting in front of his laptop, finding an amateur stream from somewhere.”
“The first thing you need to know is my roots come from amateur boxing,” Ramsay said. “I realized at one point that this is not like the NFL or NHL. There is no draft. This is an open market.”
Ramsay pointed to the differences between the amateur and professional realms when he said: “Back in the day, the difference between an amateur and a professional was closer. Right now, there is a big difference between what you saw at the Olympic Games and what you see in a professional boxing ring.”
Asked what qualities he looked for, Ramsay said: “Guys who are able to dominate even if they don’t have the right style, they have a physical style. Guys who have enough ability, even with the wrong style for amateur boxing, to win those competitions, usually I open my eyes very fast to them.”
Camille Estephan, the president of Eye of the Tiger Management, outlined what he looks for in terms of fighters for the roster.
“We want professional-style boxers who have power, who can hurt guys,” Estephan said. “Right now, we have some of the top talents worldwide.”
An example is junior welterweight Orobio. Ramsay closely watched him develop in the amateur ranks.
“The way he was fighting, he kept repeating the same performance again and again,” Ramsay said. “He was 18 years old and fighting guys who were probably 25 or 26 years old already. At that point, I was pretty sure we could develop him as a good professional.”
Erdman has essentially been calling their fights since Eye of the Tiger Management’s inception. He recalls when they were behind other Canadian promoters, as they have evolved into a powerhouse among major promoters and are no longer seen as just a Canadian-based entity.
“It is not a surprise that things are rolling the way they are,” Erdman said. “Their talent identification and development system is really elite.”
Estephan explained how important Ramsay is in that process.
“He is my eyes in the gym,” Estephan said. “We are one of only a few promoters who are truly developing fighters. I truly believe it is a lost art.”
Ramsay enjoys his work. Whether it is matching a fighter with a journeyman counterpuncher, a southpaw, or any other form of challenge, he likes each outing to be beneficial in the growth of the fighter.
“To be honest, this is what I like the most about my job – to pick the right guys,” Ramsay said. “Going from fight to fight and learning something. I don’t want to do babysitting.”
Eye of the Tiger has developed and continues to develop many up-and-comers. Interim WBC super middleweight titleholder Mbilli went through the steps of their development to become a top-rated contender. Lightweight Dzmitry Asanau, super middleweight Fendero, and 2024 Canadian Olympian Sanford look promising in the company’s next wave.
“Camille Estephan has always behaved, even in the very beginning when it wasn’t so, he didn’t behave like this was a regional outfit,” Erdman said. “He was right, and he put that type of work and compassion into the fighters he has developed.”
“We have a thorough, disciplined approach, where on a monthly basis everyone is evaluated,” Estephan said. “To be a fighter at the top level, you have to be a full-time fighter, not just in the gym, but in life in general.”
On Saturday, heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov looks to revive his career against Dave Allen in the United Kingdom. Makhmudov was stopped twice in consecutive years in 2023 and 2024. He enters the bout with a stoppage win over Ricardo Brown. Meanwhile, Allen is a fairy tale-like figure who has rebuilt his career after knocking out Johnny Fisher in May. Makhmudov found his way to Ramsay through his relationship with Beterbiev.
“He was under the radar because he was not a national champion, but he was fighting in the WSB (World Series of Boxing), and you could already see he had the right style, very good puncher, physical guy,” Ramsay said. “At one point, he approached me to coach him and I looked at his resume. “He had done some very good stuff, especially in WSB, winning one season of that tournament, and I decided to start working with him.”
Who is under the radar on the roster? Ramsay, without hesitation, pointed to light heavyweight Wilkens Mathieu.
“Because he wasn’t a national champion, he went under the radar a little bit; he turned professional before going to the Olympic Games,” Ramsay said. “I don’t train him but he comes to my gym a couple of times a week and he spars all my guys, Mbilli, Moreno, [Erik] Bazinyan, and he is of that level.”
They have not just developed their own roster of fighters – from prospects to contenders – but also a broadcast outlet, Punching Grace, which in the modern era seems more beneficial than ever. They arguably also have the best two super middleweights without an outright title in Mbilli and Osleys Iglesias.
“It puts us in a very envious position,” Estephan. “We have a two-head monster at 168lbs with Mbilli and Iglesias.”
Beyond that, Eye of the Tiger has also developed women boxers. Mary Spencer holds the WBA junior middleweight title and will defend it on October 30 against former two-division titleholder and U.S. Olympian Mikaela Mayer. Junior lightweight Leila Beaudoin will face unified champion Alycia Baumgardner as the co-feature of the Jake Paul-Gervonta Davis undercard on November 14.
“Mary is getting older, and she wants to fight against the best,” Ramsay said. “I think she is going to fight against the best right now.”
Beaudoin is different.
“We started working with her without expecting anything special,” Ramsay explained. “She kept winning and winning and improving. She is working with one of my assistants, Samuel Decarie, and they did an amazing job. To be honest, they surprised us from fight to fight.”
Eye of the Tiger has gone from a midweek boxing product that provided solid domestic fights to a company seen on the biggest stages, with a roster full of action-oriented fighters, and they are brokering deals against the biggest names on the biggest stages. From humble beginnings to a transitional point in boxing, Eye of the Tiger seems set to potentially elevate to another level as the next decade approaches.
“It was one relationship at a time,” Estephan said. “It was about delivering value.”
