Eye of the Tiger is gearing up for a monumental addition to its La Conquête gala on May 25th. Venezuelan powerhouse Albert Ramirez, sitting at 4th in the WBO’s light heavyweight ranks, is set to clash with Germany’s Adam Deines, the 5th contender, in a 10-round light heavyweight showdown at Shawinigan’s Centre Gervais Auto. This electrifying bout joins a card featuring Christian Mbilli against Mark Heffron for the WBC Continental Americas super-middleweight strap, alongside the titanic Arslanbek Makhmudov versus Junior Fa encounter.
Camille Estephan, the battle-hardened president of EOTTM, has thrown down the gauntlet, emphasizing the global ramifications of this fight for the light heavyweight division. With eyes firmly on the prize, the victor is expected to vault into a top 2 global ranking, setting the stage for a mandatory challenge against the reigning champ. This showdown’s timing is pivotal, aligning with the seismic unification fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol on June 1st in Riyadh, promising to redraw the division’s battle lines.
Albert Ramirez (18-0, 15 KOs), a Venezuelan juggernaut, is no stranger to Quebec soil. Following his explosive triumph over the skilled tactician Artur Ziyatdinov in January, Ramirez is hungry to edge closer to world championship glory, with plans to outmaneuver the German contender with his lethal blend of aggression and power.
Adam Deines (23-2-1, 14 KOs), a warrior tempered by adversity, has previously stood toe-to-toe with the formidable Artur Beterbiev in Russia. Despite the daunting challenge, Deines displayed remarkable resilience and technical prowess, earning his stripes in the light heavyweight arena. Now on a four-fight winning streak, Deines is primed to ascend the ranks once more, eyeing victory against Ramirez.
The depth of talent on May 25th’s card is a testament to the event’s caliber, with the Ramirez-Deines fight not even headlining. The spotlight instead shines on Christian “Solid” Mbilli (26-0, 22 KOs), who aims to extend his dominion by defending his WBC Continental Americas title against the formidable Mark “Kid Dynamite” Heffron (30-3-1, 24 KOs). The co-main event sees the “Lion” Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-1, 17 KOs) facing off against the towering Junior Fa (20-3, 11 KOs), reigniting an old rivalry from their amateur days.
The card is further bolstered by local heroes Wilkens Mathieu and Mehmet Unal, alongside Montreal fighters Christopher Guerrero, Luis Santana, and Jhon Orobio, with Alexandre Gaumont of Buckingham making a much-anticipated return to the ring.