AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 14
Watch The Scoop from Monday to Friday, featuring Canadian heavyweight champ Bola Ray, who lends his vast experience in the sport and provides his comments boxing – its history and future – on YouTube and TalkinFight.com/live.
.
.
.
#boxer #boxing #boxingtalkshow #howardgrant
Transcribed:
Hello there once again talking fight fans, another special episode with the champ bowling on the scoop tonight.
Our special guest in fact is mark ramsey and why don’t you take it away? Yes, sir um you’re not going to find a more decorated trainer than mr mark ramsey.
When it comes to boxing he he has the midas touch.
Um very knowledgeable, been in the game for an exceptionally long time, but, more importantly, an all-round great guy.
My name is bola raymond wally, and this is the scoop mark ramsey how you doing very good.
My friend yourself, i’m great, i’m great you uh, like i said you have the midas touch.
One thing i can say honestly and truly for whatever reason you know how to teach power punches everybody that you train pop your pascal ridiculously power puncher, even patrice lari, patrice larue, ridiculous power puncher.
Now you got better beef, my god um.
What can you say? I don’t know i think that was also a question of uh of uh hazard a little bit like.
Yes, this is a style, a style of boxer.
I think um.
This is a profile of a professional boxer that i, like.
I like offensive guy back in the days my my hero was the rand and you can see a little bit of the iran inside of guys like lemieux and then peterbiev and and good puncher like this.
But it’s also, i have the chance to to work with those athletes who have this power.
You can train a little bit power, but like guys, like better be the first time you came to the gym, you already have that power.
We just try to work a little bit on it sure enough showing up sure enough, but the thing is you still like it can’t be just chance, like you have like one after another after another after another like it’s.
If you, if you’re staring across the ring – and you see mark ramsey, know that there’s going to be hot missiles coming at you, so that’s that’s what i tell people so yeah, but this is a little bit.
What i like to teach is also the the thing of course, it’s not only a chance uh, we work every day very hard in the gym and we try to work.
You know people uh people very focused on the power thing, but when you have a guess i i will give the example of battery who came to my gym for his first day and he already have that power.
But you you need to control that power.
Make sure you’re always in balance, develop power with speed, not only power for power and that’s the difference, especially at the high level like you’re, not going to catch elite fighter just with raw power and if you’re slow, like you need good speed.
Good coordination and very good balance, also very good, very good, very true.
How did you get your start in boxing? What was the first um, my god this long time ago i was, i was about 16 years old.
I was a a very bad hockey player, but i was trying to to get better a little bit and i went to my local local boxing club was very close to where you train, with patrice close to showing again a little city called katla, madeleine, very close To 12 university and uh, i went there just to to get in shape for a hockey training camp, and i never went back to hockey.
That’S right and i play hockey all my life wow yeah.
I fall in love with that sport.
I i love that sport right away, and i love also – i i remember to be a boxer, but i like hockey.
I was not that good, but i i remember me looking at the coach and how he analyzed thing and for me that was boxing was a giant chess game and it was so.
It was something special for me and something interesting for me.
That’S amazing and that’s across the board: that’s what a lot of people are actually saying.
Um boxing is very cerebral.
It’S a thinking, man’s game and the layman out there in society.
They don’t see that they just see the brutality, but there’s a lot of chatting a lot of moving parts that goes along with the game of boxing, of course, very attractive and very intoxicating.
So, like sometimes people like what we heard, some a lot of people saying that speed before power and stuff like this, but the first quality of a boxer is, is here like look at all the great fighters.
Look at ali look at the guys, like bernard hopkins.
Look at hundred award name it like they all: they all have that edge.
They know how to win oh yeah and they find a way to win.
They analyze the seating that other don’t see and they are able to adapt and win fight.
Important fight! That’S amazing! You you had a couple amateur fights myself.
I have like 15 15 and a couple of exhibition.
I was probably 50 50, a recurred very average guy, but it it’s funny because at that time i was uh.
My high roll was like a guys like joran was a very it was powerful, but a very good technician.
I like uh here in quebec.
At that time we have like stephan willett, and we have a couple of good technicians and i always loved and uh to see technician.
But i was, i was a complete flat footer.
My physical was giving me only the opposite of what i want to be, but that’s, okay, and i find i find very fast that if i want to keep a place in in that sport and i need to find another spot that boxer – and that was coach And the very fact that you’re able to teach the things that you could not do also stands as a tribute to you, because where would you get that knowledge from non-life experience? And – and we can see this from a lot of fighters – a lot of very good fighters – they are not able to to teach what they know, because that was so natural for them.
Like a job is like this, and and that’s it, that’s all – they never have to question themselves about this, about the biomechanic of the movement and everything like it’s.
It’S a, and sometimes we saw like guys like me or or russ ember in montreal, who have maybe one amateur fight, but he you know the game and he’s able to teach the game.
Exactly he’s analyzed the game biomechanically down to the bare elements and he can teach it to well.
Actually, speaking of russ amber, i still remember when he came to.
He came with owners to a camp and did a camp at uh in toronto at the gym that i was at and he taught me what’s what the stance was.
I’D already been playing with dwight for years and russ came and talked to me and showed me exactly what was wrong with my stand, like as simple as balance changes your whole the whole landscape – and this is something very interesting because people, especially the fans who never Went to a boxing gym, they think like.
Okay, this guy is going to change from the coach to another coach and they’re, going to make a huge improvement, and it’s not true.
Improvement in boxing is about little detail that you work for month and month and month to be able to to put in your computer and to just um to just execute the night of the fight and but at the end of the the year.
If you’re able to do like two three little change like this you’re, a complete different fighter, but it’s a long process.
It’S not it’s not something magic like we heard some time.
Okay, he’s gon na train with freddie roach or he’s gon na train with that coach, or this coach and and then four months gon na be complete big changes.
It’S not magic, it’s not happening.
No, it’s not, and actually, if anything, um what you find is they.
I find that at least i found in a lot of the coaches i had was they couldn’t change anything so in essence, they just turned into cheerleaders and sometimes you know and everybody have his stylist.
Oh, you have like a guys like russ and bruce to me.
He’S my friend, but i’m gon na, say it that way to me he’s more a teacher that he’s a boxing coach because be a boxing coach.
You need to be general on a lot of aspect like and and be able to deal with a lot of different things and different uh profile of boxer psychological profile.
Russ is a teacher of the game.
You know technically what is and he’s able to teach some guy are very, very good.
Motivator guys, like angel dundee, was a great motivator, but i don’t know about the other aspect of the coaching.
We all have like strong point and weak point and as a boxer, we try to to be better every day.
Russ russ could easily be a coach’s coach.
He could teach theory he strategy beautifully.
I’Ve actually witnessed it um, but you’re right, there’s to be a coach is so many different facets when it comes to dealing with motivation dealing with psychology, the very psychology to rev them up to to actually calm them down, patience, it’s going to come and you have To adjust with every style every profile of fighter like you can be, you can hack the same with everybody like i have i have fighter in the gym.
I have to give them like a load of emotion and then we have to push them and be very emotional to them to to create something and the opposite.
I have a guys like better, be you don’t want that at all.
You want a corner, very quiet, calm and you want instruction not too much and very precise.
You don’t like you need to adjust from one guy to another one.
It’S not every all fighters are the same.
Exactly i mean um, the late great emanuel stewart used to say the exact same thing.
He actually, he he told us how he couldn’t stand.
I didn’t realize this.
He couldn’t stand even to holyfield.
He couldn’t stand training.
The van the holyfield thought he was the laziest guy ever apparently, he would actually go running with him.
He would go running with evander to get evander ready for fights.
You know like i’ve always thought that a vendor was a workhorse.
Now, that’s a coach he’s going to get out of his bed to ensure that his problem is going to be ready, he’s actually going to work out with him.
That’S a different level, but maybe that’s what they will bring and the the other aspect is.
You can be a good coach for all the fighter like.
I don’t believe that guys, like oh he’s, a good coach yeah.
I think i can do a certain job with a center, a certain type of boxer and for other boxers, i’m not the guys that they need and also depend where you catch them in their carrier also.
Sometimes this is not exactly what they need.
They need something different and you have to respect that.
Like you, nobody is perfect.
No, no, absolutely absolutely! You have a quite the stable of fighters.
How do you balance so many fighters um at the end of the day, a common con uh concept in coaching, which i was grateful to see that you don’t practice.
This is where, in the amateurs, you’ll have 30 kids training all at one time you may have one.
You may have two coaches in the gym with 30 kids.
That’S not a whole lot of individual um instruction happen.
When it comes to the pro gym.
You can do that, but you still feel a whole bunch of gyms doing that.
Yes, but it’s also depend on the level of the federally importance of the fight uh.
The thing me when we start training camp – let’s say i have eight guys in the gym and uh we do general stuff.
I don’t have date of the fight yet and stuff like this.
We can train together.
I put my guess together and because i want to save energy because also uh we’re working on general ship, stuff and basic stuff, like not relevant to a specific opponent uh but uh when we have the date and we have a like a specific profile of boxer.
Uh we know about our opponent, we need to work specific stuff, and i like to train my guys alone alone, to be myself very focused on what i’m doing and also my fighter be focused not talking to the guys it’s professional boxing, you have to be professional.
That’S, that’s! That’S what quantifies you as being one step above the above the rest, because i often say it and don’t get me wrong.
I love papa adrian.
I love papa adrian like there’s no tomorrow, and you know you know um, but when i fought for the first, when i won my canadian title the first time i still remember getting frustrated because i was working on the bag and the workout that he was giving Me to do there was a pregnant woman working on the bag right beside me doing the same thing psychologically that actually plays in my head yeah, but it’s not always like possible.
I have the chance to to get to have some fighter who generate uh like decent money, and i can make a living out of this and i’m able to apply this, but sometimes like, as a coach, you’re gon na pass like eight weeks to train somebody for, For maybe uh two hundred dollars yeah, you know it’s it’s hard.
You still have to make a living and sometimes coach need to to do other stuff around it’s not always possible.
I have the the chance to be in that position right now that i can do it uh, but it make a difference when you can just focus on one.
Actually, this is a completely different world, yeah yeah.
How are, how would you like to see the professional game differ? Now you live in work in the mecca of boxing when it comes to canada in quebec.
Has the most has more fights in quebec than all the country combined um, but there’s still changes that could actually make it better.
What would you like to see different? You mean in terms of canada or internationally, actually, no first quebec, then canada believe international.
You know i will tell you to be honest.
I would like to see the rest of canada raise as there is nothing uh.
Nobody can convince me that toronto or the the west of the country, can do what we we do in quebec, like even even maybe better.
If you look at toronto, you look at the the size of the city, the money, the sponsorship, the possibility of sponsorship.
I think now it’s getting better and better promoter are more responsible and professional right now that was a couple of years uh before i think it’s getting there, but i would like to see the rest of canada to raise a little bit and we’re gon na be Able to make better exchange, because every time we do that like we did a couple of very good fights between ontario canada, and i mean i at the at a professional level.
Not amateur level – and this is always a great show and and the best fighter comes on top of it and is able, after that, to cross the border and and challenge the rest of the world.
And i think this is.
I think it’s going to be something good for him back, but also something good for the rest of canada.
Of course, i think it’s very connected um.
We you, you build a healthy rivalry, but you elevate everybody’s t everybody’s game collectively.
Yes, like i, i look right now.
I’M gon na give you the example of amateur boxing like right.
Now we can see every division, we have a very good fighter, and the rest of the group is like remember back in the days.
Remember like guys, like ja, pascal to be national champion, have to beat stevenson adonis twice.
Yes, this is something i remember.
The vision like you have you, you always was in a war.
If that was not what david can do was when berman steven was after whoa, heavyweight champion professional you, you have guys like this.
You need to beat.
I find right now that we it’s not the the every division is not deep like before, and i think as a professional, we can create also the same thing like if the the rest of the country are able like to, and we have good fighter from from Everywhere, like from every province, but to be a little bit more active, better promoter, better commission everything raised, i think everybody is going to be uh.
It’S going to be successful.
Well, um we are in ontario, at least is on is in the right direction.
We, i think so, yes yeah, we got we.
Finally, ken, i actually retired, and now it’s a lot more attractive to not just promoters but boxing and boxing uh enthusiasts alike.
So we, the new commission, is doing a fantastic job.
Well, with the exception of this whole.
Kobe business because we’re shut down but prior to covert we’re we’re actually gaining we’re just putting on a lot more shows and that’s what’s necessary.
I think so.
Yes, oh! No! I’M glad, i’m glad, i’m glad um! You have a fighter going to mexico.
Yes, sir, it’s a nightmare he’s one of my very good good prospect like a kid from kazakhstan, so complete fighter like fast good puncher, a very solid wall, a meter champion like you, have the the background background.
Also.
This is very important for me and you have all the tools to be one day like a champion, but he still have to learn his job and now he’s going to mexico for his first north american title.
I’M not going to be able to be with him.
My assistant, samuel de cary, is with him right now because i’m moving for russia next week to train with her bf, but he’s there right now, okay! Well, i want to wish you the best of luck.
Uh! That’S that’s amazing! You make a full living off of boxing that is like i.
I there’s only like two, maybe another, three people in the country.
That could say the exact same thing from your position, so you’re doing something right.
Man.
I will tell you something i started i started.
I was working on construction and then doing amateur boxing and i started a little bit of professional and after that, only amateur and professional, and only professional.
And but you know what, at the end of the day, if the professional scene just fall down – and i have to go back with my van and drive every weekend for amateur boxing, i’m gon na – do it it’s not a question of money.
It’S not a question of making my living it’s my dream, i’m not happy about the situation, but it’s it’s.
I need boxing like if i have to take back the van the team, the young team and go back on the road for amateur boxing, i’m gon na.
Do it good for you good for you.
We need a lot more, a lot more general gen, our genuine uh coaches, like you uh, this is going to be back on top, but thank you um with that being said.
Mark i want to thank you one for being a friend too, for coming on the show.
I wish you the absolute best of me in mexico and what you’re called you.
You are affiliated with both um group, yvonne michelle and i of the tiger.
Actually, i’m an independent trainer like i have guys with eddie hearns.
I have guys with golden boy.
I have guys with top ring boxing uh, of course, in quebec.
You want michelle and camilla.
Stefan, like i work with everybody uh, there is no uh, no problem with that.
Okay, oh well! That’S that’s! Obviously the best way to go, i think so, is i i work for my fighter.
You know there are.
They are the one at the end of the day.
Will pay me fair enough fair enough, fair enough? That’S great! I we are running out of time here but like again, thank you for coming out and hopefully we’ll see you soon with uh when this whole covet stupidity ends yeah.
Thank you, my friend, thank you, bye, bye.
Thank you graham rayland.
That was that was the mark.
Ramsey, that’s pretty awesome.
No he’s uh he’s an amazing guy.
I forgot to actually bring out the fact we were in camp together.
I that’s when i actually met um really got to know him.
We were.
I was in camp with uh the late great, patrice larue um and uh spent a month sparring and training with uh mark and patrice and genuine, like he’s a boxing aficionado, first and foremost, but uh a solid guy, solid guy, but yeah.
They don’t make too many mark ramsey’s out there.
Unfortunately.
Well, they must not.
I mean he listed off quite a lot of heavy of the heaviest promoters who have their boxers being trained by him.
Oh, how many world champions has he trained? He has better bf.
Who is arguably like i, i don’t know if there is a human being that can beat him um, he had pascal, he he trained, oh god, who else did he train stevenson for a bit? I mean, i think he trained booty for a bit too.
Like he’s genius trained quite a few world champions, not national, not north america, world champions.
So you know good guy good guy, awesome interview.
It was good with that being said if you’d like to send through you, if you like this, show episode uh, please smash the like button and subscribe.
It’S your boy, bola, that’s scoop! Thank you very much and we’ll see you tomorrow see
There are no reviews yet.