Eye of the Tiger is closing out 2025 in an unprecedented position in its nearly 15-year history. The numbers speak for themselves: among the 23 athletes under contract with the team, 17 are currently world-ranked, including three world champions — Osleys Iglesias (IBO), Christian Mbilli (WBC Interim), Albert Ramirez (WBA Interim).
At the top of the list, what a year it was for Montreal’s Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs). On June 27, in front of nearly 5,500 fans at Centre Vidéotron, the Marc Ramsay protégé finally realized his dream of becoming a world champion. That night, “Solide” needed just one round to stop Poland’s Maciej Sulecki, the world No. 7 contender, to claim the WBC Interim Super Middleweight World Title. Less than three months later, on September 13, Mbilli successfully defended his title by fighting to a draw against world No. 3 contender Lester Martinez.
Adding to the significance, the Mbilli–Martinez bout was featured on the undercard of the highly publicized “fight of the century” between Saul Alvarez and Terence Crawford. The event took place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in front of more than 70,000 spectators, with an additional 40 million viewers watching worldwide on Netflix. Mbilli seized the opportunity to shine before an unprecedented audience for a Quebec boxer, with his bout against Martinez being named Fight of the Night.
Although he has held the IBO Super Middleweight World Title since 2022, Osleys Iglesias (14-0, 13 KOs) used 2025 to secure his path toward a second world championship. On September 4 at the Casino de Montréal, “El Tornado” dismantled world No. 2 contender Vladimir Shishkin in eight rounds, becoming the mandatory challenger for the IBF 168-pound title. Initially, this positioned him for a bout against IBF champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who was later defeated by Terence “Bud” Crawford before announcing his retirement. As a result, Iglesias will now have the opportunity to fight for the vacant title in his next bout. The only remaining question is who will step up to face him, as the Cuban has built a reputation over the past two years as one of the most feared fighters in the sport, pound for pound.
At light heavyweight, Albert Ramirez (22-0, 19 KOs) completed EOTTM’s trio of world champions on August 8 by stopping world No. 9 contender Jerome Pampellone in the seventh round to become the WBA Interim Light Heavyweight World Champion. The bout took place in Libya before a crowd of more than 10,000 fans and was broadcast worldwide on DAZN. It marked Ramirez’s third victory of the year, following dominant stoppage wins over Croatian contender Marko Calic and Asian champion Michael Flannery in three and two rounds, respectively, at the Casino de Montréal.
Continuing along the world-title path, two Eye of the Tiger fighters competed in unified world championship bouts in 2025. After a powerful knockout win over Elhem Mekhaled in June, Leïla Beaudoin (13-2, 2 KOs) earned a shot at the undisputed super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner on December 19, fighting on the undercard of the highly publicized Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul event. Despite losing by unanimous decision, the Quebec fighter impressed with her courage and determination in front of thousands of fans at the Kaseya Center in Miami — and, more importantly, tens of millions of viewers on Netflix.
A few weeks earlier, on October 31, Canadian Mary Spencer (10-3, 6 KOs) fought for three world titles. Already holding the WBA title, which she had successfully defended for the first time against Ogleidis Suarez in April, she faced American Mikaela Mayer with the vacant WBC and WBO super welterweight titles also on the line. Mayer ultimately claimed her fifth, sixth, and seventh world titles via unanimous decision, but Spencer fought valiantly against one of the sport’s growing legends.
In the world rankings, no fewer than 14 other Eye of the Tiger fighters made their mark across eight different weight classes. The latest addition to the EOTTM stable, Lenar Perez (15-0, 14 KOs), already sits at No. 3 in the WBA cruiserweight rankings, while also ranking No. 12 with the IBF and No. 18 with the WBC. Still in the top five, Canadian Olympian and NABF super lightweight champion Arthur Biyarslanov (20-0, 16 KOs) is currently ranked No. 4 by both the WBC and IBF. At lightweight, WBC Continental and IBF Intercontinental champion Dzmitry Asanau (11-0, 5 KOs) also holds the No. 4 WBC ranking and No. 12 with the IBF.
Inside the top 10, Arslanbek Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) enjoyed a triumphant return by dominating Britain’s David Allen on his home turf in England, capturing the WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight Title and climbing to No. 6 in the WBA world rankings. Imam Khataev (11-1, 10 KOs) also found success on the road. Fighting on a Ring Magazine–promoted card in New York, he became the first fighter to knock down David Morrell Jr. Although the judges awarded a highly controversial split decision in favor of the Cuban, Khataev left a strong impression. He left no doubt in his return bout, stopping former world title challenger Adam Deines in the third round in December in Gatineau. The Olympic medalist closed out the year ranked No. 6 and No. 7 by the WBC and WBA, respectively, at 175 pounds.
A third light heavyweight also stood out within EOTTM. Marc Ramsay protégé Mehmet Unal (14-0, 12 KOs) enjoyed a breakout year. He first stopped Olympian Ezequiel Maderna in three rounds, then demolished Polish and Latvian contenders Jan Czerklewicz and Ralfs Vilcans in first-round knockouts. In the latter two bouts, Unal captured and defended the WBC Continental Light Heavyweight Title, placing him at No. 9 in the world rankings.
Marc Ramsay’s youngest protégé, Jhon Orobio (16-0, 14 KOs), also broke into the world rankings. Currently ranked No. 15 by the WBC, the WBC Continental super lightweight champion and Ring Magazine ambassador earned four victories in 2025, including a second-round stoppage of former world champion Xolisani Ndongeni. At just 22 years old, Orobio clearly has a bright future ahead, as does Quebec sensation Wilkens Mathieu (15-0, 10 KOs). The pride of Quebec City — also a Ring Magazine ambassador — experienced a true breakout in the fall. On October 30, he completely dominated and dropped veteran Quebec fighter Shakeel Phinn to capture the NABF and WBC Continental super middleweight titles. The WBC currently ranks him No. 17 in the world — a remarkable achievement for a 20-year-old, especially considering all other fighters in the top 35 are at least 24 years old.
Among the stable’s other ranked fighters are WBC Continental welterweight champion Christopher Guerrero (No. 18 WBC at 147 lbs), Canadian “Dragon” Steve Claggett (No. 22 WBC at 140 lbs), two-time world title challenger Steven Butler (No. 24 WBC at 168 lbs), Montreal’s Luis Santana (No. 31 WBC at 135 lbs), and EOTTM’s 2024 Prospect of the Year, Moreno Fendero (No. 36 WBC at 168 lbs).
The future looks just as promising with EOTTM’s two newest recruits. Canadian Olympic medalist Wyatt Sanford (5-0, 2 KOs) and junior amateur world champion Erik Israyelyan (4-0, 2 KOs) continued to rack up victories throughout 2025. Overall, Eye of the Tiger closed the year with a team record of 52 wins in 58 bouts, including 34 victories by knockout. These results were achieved across eight events held in Quebec, as well as through successful outings on the road in the Americas, Europe, and Africa.
“When we say we’re taking Quebec boxing to another level, the numbers don’t lie. We worked relentlessly to get here, and our team is now built to win in the short, medium, and long term. I can’t predict the future, but I truly believe this is only the beginning. Three world champions is already a lot, but with the talent we have, I’m confident we can bring even more world champions to Quebec,” said EOTTM President Camille Estephan.
Eye of the Tiger will return on February 5 at the Casino de Montréal, where Albert Ramirez will make the first defense of his world title against former world champion Lerrone Richards. A limited number of tickets remain available through Ticketmaster (HERE). Photos from Albert Ramirez’s most recent bouts and from all Eye of the Tiger fighters are also available (HERE).
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