Pan Am Games gold medalist Arthur Biyarslanov makes pro debut Dec. 15 in Toronto

One of the most highly anticipated professional debuts in Canadian boxing history will finally occur on December 15. The best Canadian amateur boxer of his generation, Arthur “The Chechen Wolf” Biyarslanov, will finally step into a professional ring for the first time as part of a stacked “Risky Business” card presented by Lee Baxter Promotions at the Coca-Cola Coliseum.

As an amateur, Biyarslavnov racked up an 85-13 overall record, and collected four national championships. His greatest amateur achievement was his victory over the great Cuban Yasniel Toledo at the 2015 Pan Am Games, which netted him the gold medal and worldwide acclaim. A year later, he became the only male Canadian boxer to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Now training in Montreal, Biyarslanov will return to Toronto, the site of his Pan Am Games triumph, to begin his career in the paid ranks. 

“Every promoter in Canada, and probably in the world, has tried to or at least thought about signing Arthur over the past three years, so it’s not lost on us how lucky we are to host his professional debut in front of all of his fans here in Canada,” said Baxter. 

It's been a remarkable journey for Biyarslanov. Born near the Chechen region of Russia, Biyarslanov and his family left the war-torn region for Azerbaijan, and later Canada, arriving in the Great White North in 2005. Ultimately, after excelling in a variety of sports, it was boxing that truly helped him find his footing and find himself.

As a professional, Biyarslanov has sought the guidance of one of the most respected boxing gurus in the world, Marc Ramsay. Ramsay, based in Montreal, has helped guide the careers of nearly all of the top Canadian pros of this generation, and some of the greatest of all-time, including former light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal, former middleweight titleholder David Lemieux, current light heavyweight champion Eleider Alvarez and more. He is also the trainer of another Chechen champion, Artur Beterbiev, the current IBF light heavyweight champion. 

The 23-year old southpaw will battle eight-fight Mexican veteran Ernesto Cardona Sanchez in his first pro bout.