Biyarslanov steps into a new ring
Former Canadian Olympian decides to go professional
Canadian boxer Arthur Biyarslanov posted an Instagram video this week showing him running along a park path in Montreal, throwing punches without breaking stride, decked out in red shoes and a Team Canada windbreaker. In the caption, the 23-year-old former Olympian promised an update on his return to the ring.
But Biyarslanov, the most decorated Canadian amateur boxer of his generation, won’t represent Canada in his next bout. Instead, he’ll make his long-delayed professional debut on an Aug. 25 card in downtown Toronto co-promoted by heavyweight legend Evander Holyfield.
After reaching the round of 16 in Rio, Biyarslanov had initially planned to compete as an amateur through the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, but a longrunning disagreement with Boxing Canada over cash and coaching prompted him to make a business decision he hopes will pay off with several world titles.
“I just want to be the best in the world. I know I have a lot to do in front of me,” Biyarslanov said. “Why not at least make some money instead of getting hit in the head for free.”
Biyarslanov doesn’t yet have an opponent, but he says the bout will take place at 142 pounds.
On fight night he’ll play a crucial role, leveraging his local following to boost ticket sales for a card with featured fights that involve fighters from outside Canada. While Biyarslanov hasn’t signed with a promoter, his well-documented back story and in-ring résumé lend him a marketability that should make him a valuable free agent.
“He’s talented enough to seize those opportunities, and (he generates) a lot of attention, which in turn sells tickets,” said Lee Baxter, the local promoter in charge of next month’s card. “He’s getting older and he’s got to get his pro career going.”
Biyarslanov moved to Toronto as an 8-year-old after fleeing civil war in Chechnya with his mother and three siblings. Once here, he took up soccer and boxing, and credits sports with helping him adjust to life in Canada.
As a boxer, he blossomed into the top fighter in Canada’s amateur program, compiling an 8513 overall record and winning four national championships. Biyarslanov topped heavily favoured Cuban Yasniel Toledo to win Pan Am Games gold in 2015, and he became the only Canadian male boxer to qualify for the Rio Olympics the follow- ing year.
But even as he accrued accolades, Biyarslanov feuded with Canada’s amateur boxing establishment.
In late 2016, Boxing Canada ordered all boxers on the national team program to move to Montreal, where they would train full time with the organization’s coaches. Biyarslanov and other national team members disputed the directive, but Boxing Canada insisted that centralizing talent and brainpower would yield better performance.
“Access to sport science will create a completely different dynamic,” Boxing Canada high performance director Danny Trépanier told the Star last year. “We want to create a performance-oriented environment … What we want to offer them is the best boxing program in the world. They won’t find that in their (local) gym.”
Biyarslanov argued that with- out stipends for relocation and living expenses, the move would cost him money. He was also reluctant to leave his coaches in Toronto, so he remained here through the 2017 competitive season before finally leaving the national team. He announced his intention to turn pro last November but, without a promotional contract, he has had to wait nine months to make his debut.
In the meantime, he finally moved his training to Montreal — by his choice, he stresses. Since April, Biyarslanov has been working with Marc Ramsay, whose stable includes world-class pros like David Lemieux and Eleider Alvarez.
“I have a good team around me, good vibes around me, and I feel good,” Biyarslanov said. “Now I know what it means to be a pro. The guys I’m surrounded with, they train hard. I have no excuses not to train hard.”