Eye of the Tiger will kick off the year in emphatic fashion at the Montreal Casino on February 5. Albert Ramirez will defend his WBA interim light heavyweight world title for the first time against former world champion and British contender Lerrone Richards.
“Richards is a fighter who has long been avoided, both on the British and the world scene. But when you work as hard as Albert Ramirez does, and you have his mindset, you don’t turn down any challenge. It will be quite a fight, but this first title defense is only the beginning of a great story for Albert,” added Ramirez’s manager, Karim Bouzidi of Versus Sports Management.
In August 2025, Albert Ramirez (22-0, 19 KOs) captured the WBA interim light heavyweight crown by stopping the world’s No. 9 contender Jerome Pampellone in the seventh round of a bout broadcast on DAZN and staged in Benghazi, Libya. That victory was the third of a sensational year for the Rio Olympic boxer, who also stopped Asian champion Michael Flannery and Croatian contender Marko Calic in three and two rounds, respectively, in Montreal. With David Benavidez moving on to compete at cruiserweight (200 lb) and Dmitry Bivol sidelined for an extended period, Ramirez is determined to prove that he is the man to beat at 175 lb.
On the other side, British southpaw Lerrone Richards (19-1, 4 KOs) is targeting a second world title in a second weight class against Ramirez. In 2021, Richards won the IBO super middleweight world title, becoming the first man to defeat heavy-handed Ecuadorian puncher Carlos Góngora. Previously, he handed Lennox Clarke the first loss of his 20-fight career to claim the British title, and also defeated former world champion Giovanni De Carolis to become European champion. After moving up to light heavyweight and winning his most recent bout, Richards is now ranked No. 10 in the WBA at 175 lb and will attempt to jump straight to the front of the line by challenging the interim world champion in Montreal on February 5.
In the co-main event, two titles will be on the line. Two-time Olympian Dzmitry Asanau (11-0, 5 KOs) will defend his WBC Continental and IBF Intercontinental lightweight titles against Argentine contender Claudio Gabriel Daneff (24-4-1, 11 KOs). Born in Belarus, based in Dubai, and training in Montreal, Asanau has enjoyed a meteoric rise since signing with EOTTM. Climbing the world rankings at breakneck speed, the Samuel Décarie-Drolet protégé is currently ranked No. 4 by the WBC and No. 11 by the IBF. Daneff, however, is not to be taken lightly. The WBC’s No. 39 contender is actually ranked higher than Asanau on BoxRec and previously held the WBC Continental lightweight title before vacating it, which Asanau later claimed. The Argentine champion has also held the WBC Latin American and IBO Intercontinental titles in the past.
On the undercard, EOTTM will present a championship clash between two undefeated fighters. In the red corner, Montreal-based Mehmet Unal (14-0, 12 KOs), now ranked No. 9 in the WBC light heavyweight rankings, will attempt to defend his Continental title for the second time. Across from him, Kosovo’s pride Altin Zogaj (17-0, 9 KOs) will look to continue his rise in his first fight in the Americas, while putting the brakes on the momentum of Marc Ramsay’s protégé.
Also in action, Thetford Mines favorite Thomas Chabot (11-1, 7 KOs) will look to return to the win column in a local matchup against Maritime puncher Dominic Babineau (13-2-1, 11 KOs). This bout will be Chabot’s first scheduled for 10 rounds and will also mark his debut at featherweight (126 lb), having recently decided to drop down a division.
At lightweight, Canadian Olympic medalist Wyatt Sanford (5-0, 2 KOs) will face Alexis Gabriel Camejo (10-5-2, 1 KO) in a six-round contest. Well known to Quebec fans, Camejo is one of only two fighters to have gone the distance with highly touted Colombian prospect Jhon Orobio, and he has also heard the final bell against Dzmitry Asanau. Super featherweight prospect Erik Israyelyan (4-0, 2 KOs) will also compete in his first scheduled six-round bout against French veteran Anthony Deloffre (9-4-1). Finally, in a four-round bout at 175 lb, Montrealer and former member of Canada’s national team Keven Beausejour (1-0, 1 KO) will make his Quebec debut against Czech boxer Petr Strnad (4-3-2, 2 KOs).
Fewer than 5% of tickets for the #RamirezRichards event, taking place on February 5, are still available via the Ticketmaster network (HERE). The action gets underway at 6:30 p.m. at the Montreal Casino and will be broadcast in full on Punching Grace.
The post Ramirez Vs. Richards: 7 Fights, Including 1 World Title Showdown On February 5 In Montreal! appeared first on Fight News.
