Mary Spencer’s coach promised to “give her hell” during training camp. Samuel Décarie-Drolet illustrated his plan like this: “On the night of the fight, when Femke is going to try to take you to hell, you are going to feel at home. You’re going to sit in your living room, you’re going to offer her a cup of tea, and if she wants you to dance, well, you’re going to lead the dance. »
Décarie-Drolet made sure to bring his boxer “in situations where it was really difficult, painful,” he explained Tuesday noon. His intervention before the media took place a few minutes after the weigh-in of the pugilists taking part in the Moment of Truth gala, presented Wednesday evening at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal.
“Sometimes she finished training lying on the ground, she didn’t want to move,” he continued. She had never experienced anything like this. It happened that Mary had tears flowing. Because she was in pain, but she didn’t want to stop. We made sure we did everything we could. »
Mary Spencer (7-1-0, 5 KOs) had to raise her game a few notches. It will be a rematch against Belgian Femke Hermans (16-4-0, 7 KOs) on Wednesday. She surprised her by winning in December 2022, in Shawinigan, inflicting her only career defeat. Hermans had then won the IBO 154lb world title.
This week, the vacant IBF belt will also be up for grabs. This world championship clash is a major one, and will be decisive for the professional career of the 38-year-old Spencer.
“I already have butterflies,” admits Eye Of The Tiger Management (EOTTM) promoter Camille Estephan. I am nervous. We do not currently have a Quebec champion. There is a lot of weight on Mary’s shoulders to go get these two belts. »
Estephan talks about a “very, very high level training camp,” and “hopes for a knockout. » from Spencer, known for her striking force.
The Canadian swung the needle at 153.4 pounds. Hermans, at 152.9 lbs.
A native of Wiarton, on the Bruce Peninsula, in Ontario, Mary Spencer now resides in Montreal. In view of this fight, she made the decision to change trainers and set up shop in Marc Ramsay’s gym.
“She was the one who saw some gaps in her [previous] training camp,” Estephan reveals.
“It wasn’t just a question of coaching,” explains the promoter. It was the environment, it was the seriousness, with all the athletes who are in that gym. And also, the postman Marc Ramsay. »
Has the emeritus coach actually seen a difference since his permanent arrival in his fold?
“It’s hard for me to say, since I wasn’t present in the old gym. If there’s anything that’s certain, it’s that I saw what Sam Décarie did with her every day. They had a very tight training camp. I even freed Sam a little more […] so that he could concentrate on this fight. »
Décarie-Drolet admits it himself: in preparation for a boxing match, he has “ocds”.
“Nothing is left to chance,” he says. Everything is calculated, everything is prepared. We are able to adapt. It is a preparation that must be flexible and flexible, but everything is done with the aim of optimizing the athlete’s performance. »
The coach thanks his predecessors who marked Mary Spencer’s journey before her arrival.
“She’s a true professional,” he said. When I asked her something, she did it, without ever hesitating. »
Marc Ramsay compares a boxing training camp to a period of study before an exam.
“You have all studied,” he said to the assembled journalists. You know, when you did what you had to do to study well, you were confident that you would pass the exam. When you’ve done some, but you’re not sure, you get nervous in your school chair. It’s a bit the same principle in boxing. »
So, Mary Spencer, did she study well?
“A talented girl like Mary Spencer could win in almost any circumstance,” says Décarie-Drolet. We made sure to put in all the little things, the little ingredients that we could add. This is what ensured that she had flawless training. It will be ready for Wednesday. »
