Olympic Medalist Wyatt Sanford Earns First Win on Quebec Soil

By William Dumoulin

Photo Credit: Vincent Ethier – Eye of the Tiger

As part of the second edition of its boxing series L’Ascension, Eye of the Tiger held a fight night this Thursday at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal. One of the evening’s standout moments came when former Olympic bronze medalist Wyatt Sanford (2-0, 2 KOs) delivered a stunning first-round knockout over Tomas Lastra (2-1, 1 KO). It was the Nova Scotia native’s second professional win—and his first on Quebec soil.

“We grinded through training camp. We put in the hard work to make fight night easier, and we had a great game plan that we executed well,” Sanford said following the bout.

Despite being early in his pro career, Sanford says he’s adjusting well to the pace of the professional circuit.

“So far, it’s been pretty smooth. Most things are the same, a few things are different, but at the end of the day, a fight is a fight,” he explained confidently.

Sanford is focused on staying active and gaining experience.

“I want to be as active as possible. The more fights I get, the better it is for me. I don’t like being inactive, so the busier I am, the better—and hopefully we can move up the ranks a bit faster,” he added.

He won’t have to wait long for his next challenge. Sanford is set to return to the ring on the undercard of the Christian Mbilli vs. Maciej Sulecki event, where he’ll face Igor Lazarev (9-4, 3 KOs) in his first scheduled six-rounder.

Ramirez Dominates in Main Event

In the main event, world title contender Albert Ramirez (21-0, 18 KOs) took on British fighter Michael Flannery (13-1, 11 KOs) in a scheduled ten-round bout. Ramirez floored his opponent in the opening round and sealed the win in the second with a beautifully timed counter uppercut.

Currently ranked in the top five across all major sanctioning bodies, Ramirez voiced his desire to face either Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol. However, a trilogy between the two champions appears to be in the works, making that showdown unlikely in the near future.

First Title for Mehmet Unal

Montreal’s Mehmet Unal (13-0, 11 KOs) captured his first minor title—the WBC Continental Americas light heavyweight belt—by stopping Poland’s Jan Czerklewicz (14-3, 3 KOs) in the opening round. Unal first dropped Czerklewicz with a sharp left hook, then finished him with a crushing right overhand before the round’s end.

Another Routine Win for ‘The Wolf’

In his second fight of 2025, Arthur Biyarslanov (19-0, 16 KOs) squared off against Spanish champion Antonio Collado (19-2, 3 KOs). From the opening bell of their scheduled ten-rounder, “The Wolf” set a relentless pace, controlling the center of the ring and unloading an impressive volume of punches. After multiple knockdowns, the referee stopped the fight in the third round.

Other Results:

• Moreno Fendero (11-0, 9 KOs) scored a first-round knockout over Kristaps Bulmeistars (13-4, 5 KOs).

• Erik Israyelyan (2-0, 2 KOs) earned a second-round TKO over Quebec’s Alex Gagnon (0-3-1, 0 KOs).

A Word on Osleys Iglesias

After several twists and turns, Osleys Iglesias may finally be on track for his IBF eliminator. Eye of the Tiger hopes to finalize the deal next week for a bout in Quebec this July. A win would make the Cuban fighter the mandatory challenger to the division’s undisputed champion, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.