Photo: Vincent Ethier – Samuel Décarie-Drolet, current coach of Leïla Beaudoin, Mary Spencer, Arthur Biyarslanov, and several others, as well as assisting in the training of even more athletes, such as those guided by Marc Ramsay.
The profession of a coach is often compared to that of a teacher. However, Samuel Décarie-Drolet is one of the few for whom it is not just a comparison; he is not only one of the most prominent cornermen in the country but also holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education teaching.
“My plan was to gather as much information as possible to improve my boxing teaching methods. I took courses in sports psychology, medicine; I really oriented everything towards boxing,” explains the graduate of Laval University, who later taught at Mont-Saint-Sacrement High School.
But after three years of work in this private college in the National Capital Region, a return to the metropolis was necessary. In the spring of 2015, Marc Ramsay needed his trusted man to prepare David Lemieux to conquer the world middleweight title.
A few months later, Lemieux became world champion, and Décarie-Drolet hung up his teaching whistle to become a full-time cornerman.
The Real Introduction
You might guess that Ramsay’s call didn’t come out of nowhere. Long before teaching at school, Samuel Décarie-Drolet was teaching in boxing gyms. It was there, not at a Rouge et Or (University of Laval) match, that the two men met.
For a secret reason, Samuel Décarie-Drolet’s age must remain secret, so let’s say that about twenty years ago, at the age of about fifteen, his cousin Antonin Décarie took him with him to the gym for the first time.
Antonin, then a beginner, was on his way to becoming one of Quebec’s most prolific boxers of his generation. Sam, on the other hand, also fell in love with boxing but in his own way. Athletically, he loved a bit too much – too many – sports to only practice the noble art. Mentally, however, boxing occupied his mind.
That, the young coach of his cousin noticed quickly, at the Claude-Robillard Center.
“I became a big fan and especially a big boxing nerd. I studied everything I could, and Marc [Ramsay] started asking me questions: ‘What do you think of this? How would you do that?’ And eventually offered me to come train with him,” recalls Sam ‘D-D’.
Exploring Elsewhere
Much like he does today with his boxers, as the development director of EOTTM, Marc Ramsay saw far with Samuel Décarie-Drolet. Although he appreciated his work in the short term, he suggested that he explore other schools of thought to truly develop as a coach.
“Also, so that people don’t say, ‘he just got his chance because of his cousin,'” adds the main interested party, who notably trained at Legend and Ring 83 clubs before continuing his boxing pilgrimage to Quebec City.
There, he anchored at Rémi Bizier’s Le Cogneur club, which eventually gave him the helm, along with a young amateur boxer turned coach… a certain Vincent Auclair. In the meantime, he learned the Quebec-Montreal route without a compass, continuing to help Ramsay regularly, notably with Jean Pascal, Antonin Décarie, or even Kevin Bizier, to name a few.
From one adventure to another
Despite this, running Le Cogneur and navigating Highway 20 was not his only pastime and livelihood.
“In essence, I did a lot of stuff,” he says spontaneously.
To picture it well, let’s say that Samuel Décarie-Drolet is a kind of mix between Angelo Dundee and Indiana Jones.
Because a little like the word teacher, the term “adventurer” is not even a metaphor with him. Before returning to school, he was literally an adventure tour guide; climbing and rowing the challenges that Mother Nature has to offer, often those that comfort enthusiasts find uncomfortable.
“It’s very hard on the body, and you can’t do that all your life. That’s why I wanted to have a plan B and went back to school,” explains the man who now earns a good living at the Ramsay Boxing Academy but with his plan A.
Eternal thirst for learning
Today, the cornerman has nearly thirty years of experience in some of the best boxing schools in the province. Still, the status of teacher or experienced coach does not diminish his title as the eternal student of his sport.
“It’s still quite rare in the industry, but I have no ego. If someone brings me a new idea that can bring results, I’ll always listen.”
He applies this mentality as much to his fellow coaches as to his athletes.
“I am someone who is firm in my demands but open to communication. Yes, we are in a world of performance, but in the end, it’s them – not me – who take the blows, so my priority will always be the well-being of the athlete above all,” he concludes, contacted by phone to the sound of the Montreal-Toronto train, on his way to help Steve Rolls face Steven Butler on March 7th.
The greatest hits
A first? “I was pretty stressed for Antonin’s professional debut, but in the corner, honestly, I was more of a bystander than anything else at that time.”
A great victory? The same as Marc Ramsay: Alvarez’s victory in 7 rounds against Kovalev, in August 2019. “With Eleider, we had a big preparation in Colombia. It was that fight, but it was also all the waiting behind Adonis Stevenson for three years… It was really special.”
A big regret? “I would have to rewatch the fight, but I remember having Mary ahead 4-1 in the first half of the rematch against Femke Hermans, so I have a hard time seeing how we could have lost it. Also, knowing her better today, I probably could have pushed her a little more, but that’s easy to say afterward.”
A big night? “In Quebec [last January 13th], it was a special one for me because I was in the corner for five fights,” explains the man who was ‘in charge’ of four of them, while Marc Ramsay stayed with Artur Beterbiev all night. “I had already done it, but there was more at stake this time; for Artur, we know, but there was Christian fighting on ESPN who wanted to put himself on the map, Leïla who was in a rematch… It was really something.”
A great athlete? With a physical education teacher, we couldn’t miss that one… “It depends on what you ask for. If you want a backflip: Arthur Biyarslanov. If you want a sprint: Christian Mbilli, and all-around, of course, it’s hard not to mention Artur Beterbiev.
