Despite Arslanbek Makhmudov’s immense potential, his trainer Marc Ramsay knew his protege was still far too green to face the elite of the heavyweight division.

And that’s precisely why the Russian-born Montrealer crossed swords with Mariuz Wach in the final of an Eye of the Tiger Management gala presented Saturday night at the Cabaret du Casino de Montreal. Victorious by knockout in the sixth round, he was nevertheless put to the test by his Polish opponent, even escaping a round for the first time in his young career.

“We knew it was going to be an important fight in his training, admitted Ramsay shortly after the 14th win in as many outings from Makhmudov (14-0, 14 KOs). He saw [samedi] evening something else. He was taken to a territory he had never visited before.

“It was just a matter of time before he saw rounds and he got hit a lot more than usual. He had exchanges with a boxer who is truly world class. He had done more rounds (7, Ed) against [Jonathan] Rice, but he was trying to survive more than anything. This time his opponent tried to box and, above all, to hurt him. »

Not only Wach (36-8) made Makhmudov see all the colors, but he did it with panache by posing as an aggressor from the start of the fight. Unlike the Russian’s previous opponents, the Pole didn’t look intimidated from a height of six-foot-eight.

It must be said that the 42-year-old boxer came to Montreal with a wealth of experience. Wach had already competed against Wladimir Klitschko, Alexander Povetkin, Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, Artur Szpilka, Dillian Whyte and Hughie Fury to name a few.

“It was very clever of him. He confronted him immediately, Ramsay remarked. It knocked Arslanbek off his feet and that’s something we’ll have to work on. It all came from the frustration of not being able to hurt him quickly. It was something new for him and it will be very important that he sees himself on video to learn from all this.

“No one can ever take that aggressiveness away from Arslanbek, but we have to make sure to structure it technically. When he remained calm, everything was fine. But every time he touched it, we felt he wanted to finish it and he went completely out of his game plan.

“That is what should be avoided. At some point we wondered if he was going to lose control or be able to bring it all back. It may seem trivial, but it’s important, because these are things that are not practiced in the gym. You may have the best sparring partners in the world, but it’s still like a mock hockey game! »

But as the cream always rises to the surface, Ramsay intends to make his protege understand that regardless of the level of his opponent, it is to his advantage to take the time to set things up and let his hands go. There would be no point in rushing things.

“Arslanbek often lands a very good first shot, but rushing his movements against Wach, he was caught off balance and his back foot ended up in front, analyzed Ramsay. At times, I felt like I was watching an alley brawl rather than a fight.

“He wasted a lot of energy at the start of the round by being too aggressive. Everyone could hear him breathing very hard because he put everything he had into every one of his punches. But after the fifth he got it right and the knockout just came on its own.

“That said, and I experienced it with all my boxers, it’s the kind of experience that Arslanbek will remember in a major fight. He’ll remember all those little things Wach did that really bothered him. He will now be very well equipped to deal with it. »

With this victory, promoter Camille Estephan hopes that Makhmudov will be able to break into the top-5 of the rankings of one of the four major international boxing organizations. NABA and NABF champion, he is currently ranked 8th in the WBA and 9th in the WBC. It’s not impossible that Makhmudov will get back in the ring during the spring in Shawinigan.