I still can’t explain how Eye of the Tiger managed to get their hands on the man they call “The Wasp,” Dzmitry Asanau.
How do you sign a boxer with 200 amateur victories, including wins over some of today’s elite in the division—Andy Cruz, Hector Luis Garcia, and Murodjon Akhmadaliev? Add to that a World Championship medal and two Olympic appearances.
I myself tried a few times to cash in my RRSP and TFSA without success to get my hands on his contract.
Whenever a Quebec promoter signs a major foreign talent, I like to wait before getting too excited. I watch the amateur fights and form my opinion ringside at the Montreal Casino. Asanau is the most gifted boxer I’ve seen with my own eyes. His footwork, his movement, the quality of his combinations, and the way he plays with angles—he’s our version of Vasyl Lomachenko. And I know what it means to put that name in the same sentence as Dzmitry Asanau.
Photo: Mikey Williams – Vasyl Lomachenko
“Whoever teases a wasp must know how to run.” – African proverb
The Wasp is ranked 4th by the WBC. He’s still relatively unknown to Quebec fans and internationally. For his next fight—and especially because I love playing matchmaker—I’d look for a well-ranked boxer on BoxRec who offers a solid comparison to help boost Asanau’s reputation.
American Jordan White is ranked 12th by the WBC and has a solid record. Mongolia’s Tugstsogt Nyambayar is better than his record suggests and has been spinning his wheels since 2021—he’d fit nicely on the hunting list. Mexico’s Omar Salcido Gomez went the distance with Andy Cruz and Isaac Cruz; he’s a perfect candidate to give Asanau a 10-round test before dreaming of a world title fight.
EOTTM needs to position and prepare him for a potential call from Cuban champion Jadier Herrera, who holds the WBC title at 135 pounds.
Photo: Vitor Munhoz – Dzmitry Asanau and Carlos Ramos
“Dzmitry is a pure talent! Agile, creative, and backed by an impressive amateur pedigree. We’re not going to take the long road with him; the goal is to keep him active and quickly secure championship fights,” adds his trainer, Samuel Décarie-Drolet.
The only small concern I have with his reflex-based style is that he keeps his lead hand low—and one day, he’ll get hit clean.
I’m going to make a comment only I dare to make: among Asanau’s potential opponents on his pro journey, only Shakur Stevenson is technically superior to him. He can take the rest of the division to school. Yes, he could get knocked out by the elite—but that hasn’t happened yet. He could manage fights defensively and win a belt as early as this year.
Sometimes I get the feeling you just can’t be wrong about certain fighters when you say they’ll become world champions—and Dzmitry Asanau is one of them.
Photo: Mikey Williams – Shakur Stevenson
On the podcast
Victory for Caroline Veyre, who becomes WBC world champion. If her holding-heavy strategy made for a tough fight to watch, it worked against an aging and slower Delfine Persoon. We hope the new champion gets a unification bout against Tiara Brown.
Don’t underestimate Pavel Silyagin. He’s another technically gifted boxer from the Russian school. He’ll set traps, move well, and withstand Osleys Iglesias. The only question is… for how long?
Bravo to Thomas Chabot, who delivered a superb performance against Dominic Babineau. The Ghost of Thetford is back.
Photo: Vitor Munhoz – Justus Tshis, Giuseppe Moffa, Thomas Chabot, Mike Moffa, Antonin Décarie et Camille Estephan
