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Ryad Merhy

Ryad Merhy (born 28 November 1992) is an Ivorian-born Belgian professional boxer who held the WBA (Regular) cruiserweight title from 2021 to 2022.[1]

Ryad Merhy
Born (1992-11-28) 28 November 1992 (age 32)
Ouragahio, Ivory Coast
NationalityBelgian
Statistics
Weight(s)Cruiserweight
Height181 cm (5 ft 11 in)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights35
Wins32
Wins by KO26
Losses3

Professional career

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Early career

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Born to a Lebanese father and an Ivorian mother, Merhy made his professional debut against Hrvoje Bozinovic on 29 June 2013.[2] He won the fight by a second-round knockout. Merhy amassed a 17-0 record during the next two years, with 14 of those victories coming by way of stoppage, before he was fighting for his first professional title. Merhy faced Sylvera Louis for the vacant WBC Silver International cruiserweight title on 19 December 2015, at the RTL Spiroudome in Charleroi, Belgium.[3] He won the fight by a sixth-round knockout.[4]

WBA Inter-Continental champion

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Merhy challenged Williams Ocando for the WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title on 21 May 2016. The twelve-round title bout was scheduled as the main event of an RTL broadcast card that took place at the RTL Spiroudome in Charleroi, Belgium.[5] Merhy won the fight by a sixth-round technical knockout. He first staggered Ocando with a left hook, before unloading with a flurry of punches which forced referee Jan Christensen to wave the fight off.[6]

After successfully clinching his second professional title, Merhy fought in two non-title bouts. Merhy faced Giorgi Tevdorashvili on 15 October 2016. He beat the over-matched Tevdorashvili by a sixth-round technical knockout.[7] Two weeks later, on 1 November, Merhy beat Tamas Bajzath by a third-round technical knockout.

Merhy made his first WBA Inter-Continental title defense against Max Alexander on 17 December 2016. The fight was once again scheduled as the main event of an RTL broadcast card that took place at the RTL Spiroudome in Charleroi, Belgium.[8] He won the fight by an eleventh-round knockout.[9] Merhy made his second title defense against Mitch Williams on 20 May 2017, at the same venue and location as his previous two title fights. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 119-109, 119-109 and 118-110.[10] Merhy made his third title defense against Nick Kisner on 16 December 2017, and was once again broadcast by RTL from the RTL Spiroudome. He won the fight by a fourth-round knockout.[11]

Merhy faced the undefeated #1 ranked WBA cruiserweight contender Arsen Goulamirian for the vacant WBA interim cruiserweight title on 24 March 2018. The title fight was scheduled as the main event of a Canal+ broadcast card, and took place at the Palais des Sports in Marseille, France.[12] oulamirian won the fight by a technical knockout, stopping Merhy with a combination of unanswered strikes in the eleventh round, after dominating the fight from the very first round.[13]

Pre-title fights

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Merhy was scheduled to face Soso Abuladze on 29 June 2018. He successfully bounced back from his first professional loss with a sixth-round knockout victory. Merhy next faced Demetrius Banks on 20 October 2018.[14] He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 79-74, 80-73 and 80-73.[15]

Merhy faced the 21-4 Samuel Clarkson for the vacant WBA International cruiserweight title on 15 December 2018. The bout was scheduled as the event headliner, and took place at the RTL Spiroudome in Charleroi, Belgium.[16] He won the fight by a fourth-round knockout.[17] Merhy next faced Cesar David Crenz on 4 May 2019.[18] He won the fight by a third-round knockout.[19]

WBA world cruiserweight champion

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Merhy vs. Szellő

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Merhy was scheduled to fight Imre Szellő for the vacant WBA interim cruiserweight title on 19 October 2019. The title bout took place at the RTL Spiroudome in Charleroi, just as almost all of his previous title bouts, excepting his fight with Goulamirian.[20] Merhy captured the interim title with a seventh-round knockout of Szellő. The fight was stopped at the 2:10 minute mark of the round, after Merhy had knocked Szellő down twice in the seventh and once in the sixth round.[21]

On January 19, 2021, the WBA withdrew its recognition of the incumbent WBA (Regular) cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov, following 30 months of inactivity from him. Accordingly, interim titleholder Ryad Merhy was then promoted to world status, while the current world champion Arsen Goulamirian was promoted to "Super" champion status.[22] As such, Merhy became Belgium’s first boxing champion.[23]

Merhy vs. Zhang

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After promoting him to world status, the WBA ordered Merhy to make his first title defense against former champion Yuniel Dorticos. However, as Dorticos failed to respond to an offer to fight in Belgium, the WBA allowed Merhy to make a voluntary title defense against the IBO cruiserweight champion Kevin Lerena. The bout was expected to take place on July 17, 2021, at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium.[24] Larena announced his withdrawal from the fight on June 24, due to a hand injury he had suffered in sparring.[25] Lerena was replaced by the #14 ranked WBA cruiserweight contender Zhaoxin Zhang, who stepped in on a two-weeks notice.[26] Merhy won the fight by an eight-round technical knockout. He dropped Zhang with a heavy left hook midway through the round, and although Zhang managed to get up, referee Oliver Brien deemed him unable to continue fighting.[27]

Cancelled fight vs. Makabu

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On February 3, 2022, it was announced that Merhy would make his second WBA world title defense against the 2016 Olympics gold medalist Evgeny Tishchenko. The bout was scheduled for March 26, and was expected to take place at the RCC Boxing Academy in Yekaterinburg, Russia.[28] The fight was cancelled following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[29] Merhy was instead booked to face the WBC champion Ilunga Makabu in a title unification bout on September 30, 2022, at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa, Congo.[30] On July 19, 2022, Merhy was ordered by the WBA to face their "Super" cruiserweight champion Arsen Goulamirian in a title consolidation bout. He was given 24 hours to accept the fight, and 30 days to organize it should he accept.[31] On August 8, Merhy revealed he might eschew both of those fights and move up to bridgerweight, as he felt he could no longer comfortably make the cruiserweight limit.[32] Merhy refused to face Goulamirian in the letter of resignation sent to the WBA on August 12. This resulted in him being stripped on the Regular cruiserweight title.[33]

Merhy vs. Anderson

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On April 13, 2024 in Corpus Christi, Texas, Merhy was scheduled to face Jared Anderson.[34] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[35]

Professional boxing record

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35 fights 32 wins 3 losses
By knockout 26 1
By decision 6 2
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
35 Loss 32–3 Jared Anderson UD 10 13 Apr 2024 American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, USA
34 Win 32–2 Tony Yoka SD 10 09 Dec 2023 Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
33 Loss 31–2 Kevin Lerena UD 12 13 May 2023 Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
32 Win 31–1 Dusan Krstin TKO 3 (8) 22 Oct 2022 Spiroudome Arena, Charleroi, Belgium
31 Win 30–1 Zhaoxin Zhang TKO 9 (12), 0:20 17 Jul 2021 Stade Heysel, Brussels, Belgium Retained WBA (Regular) cruiserweight title
30 Win 29–1 Imre Szellő KO 7 (12), 2:10 19 Oct 2019 RTL Spiroudome, Charleroi, Belgium Won vacant WBA interim cruiserweight title
29 Win 28–1 Cesar David Crenz KO 3 (10), 0:22 4 May 2019 RTL Spiroudome, Charleroi, Belgium
28 Win 27–1 Samuel Clarkson KO 4 (12), 2:38 15 Dec 2018 RTL Spiroudome, Charleroi, Belgium Won vacant WBA International cruiserweight title
27 Win 26–1 Demetrius Banks UD 8 20 Oct 2018 Country Hall, Liège, Belgium
26 Win 25–1 Soso Abuladze KO 6 (8) 29 Jun 2018 Belleheide Center, Roosdaal, Belgium
25 Loss 24–1 Arsen Goulamirian TKO 11 (12), 0:51 24 Mar 2018 Palais des Sports, Marseille, France For WBA interim cruiserweight title
24 Win 24–0 Nick Kisner KO 4 (12), 2:30 16 Dec 2017 RTL Spiroudome, Charleroi, Belgium Retained WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title
23 Win 23–0 Mitch Williams UD 12 20 May 2017 RTL Spiroudome, Charleroi, Belgium Retained WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title
22 Win 22–0 Max Alexander KO 11 (12), 0:18 17 Dec 2016 RTL Spiroudome, Charleroi, Belgium Retained WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title
21 Win 21–0 Tamas Bajzath TKO 3 (8) 1 Nov 2016 Stedelijke Sporthalle, Izegem, Belgium
20 Win 20–0 Giorgi Tevdorashvili TKO 6 (8) 15 Oct 2016 Robert Charpentier Sports Complex, Paris, France
19 Win 19–0 Williams Ocando TKO 6 (12), 1:15 21 May 2016 RTL Spiroudome, Charleroi, Belgium Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title
18 Win 18–0 Sylvera Louis KO 6 (12), 1:17 19 Dec 2015 RTL Spiroudome, Charleroi, Belgium Won vacant WBC Silver International cruiserweight title
17 Win 17–0 Antonio Sousa UD 8 26 Sep 2015 Hall Omnisports, Rebecq, Belgium
16 Win 16–0 Attila Palko TKO 2 (6) 31 May 2015 Zaal Forum, Aalst, Belgium
15 Win 15–0 Arturs Kulikauskis KO 7 (8), 2:55 4 Apr 2015 Rebecq, Belgium
14 Win 14–0 Bjoern Blaschke RTD 4 (6), 3:00 14 Mar 2015 RTL Spiroudome, Charleroi, Belgium
13 Win 13–0 Shalva Jomardashvili TKO 5 (8), 2:10 25 Dec 2014 Izegem, Belgium
12 Win 12–0 Ben Nsafoah KO 4 (8), 1:47 6 Dec 2014 RTL Spiroudome, Charleroi, Belgium
11 Win 11–0 Ferenc Zsalek UD 4 15 Nov 2014 Sporthal Bourgoyen, Ghent, Belgium
10 Win 10–0 Cedric Kalonji KO 3 (8), 0:45 3 Oct 2014 Topsporthal Vlaanderen, Ghent, Belgium
9 Win 9–0 Abdelhadi Hanine KO 1 (8) 31 May 2014 Ninove, Belgium
8 Win 8–0 Paata Berikashvili TKO 3 (6) 28 Mar 2014 Topsporthal Vlaanderen, Ghent, Belgium
7 Win 7–0 Elvir Behlulovic KO 2 (4), 2:41 9 Feb 2014 City of Brussels, Belgium
6 Win 6–0 Patrick Berger KO 2 (4), 2:08 11 Jan 2014 Country Hall, Liège, Belgium
5 Win 5–0 Toni Visic KO 3 (6) 14 Dec 2013 Belleheide Center, Roosdaal, Belgium
4 Win 4–0 Jakub Wojcik UD 4 23 Nov 2013 Parc des Sports, Charleroi, Belgium
3 Win 3–0 Marko Martinjak RTD 2 (4), 3:00 5 Oct 2013 Andenne Arena, Andenne, Belgium
2 Win 2–0 Nikolai Ermenkov KO 1 (6) 23 Aug 2013 Kursaal, Ostend, Belgium
1 Win 1–0 Hrvoje Bozinovic KO 2 (4), 0:48 29 Jun 2013 Ninove, Belgium

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "BoxRec: Ryad Merhy". boxrec.com. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  2. ^ Belga (20 December 2015). "Ryad Merhy met Sylvera «Sly» Louis k.o au 6e round (Vidéo)". gad-distribution.com. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Le Québécois Sylvera Louis s'incline devant Ryad Merhy à Charleroi en Belgique". rds.ca. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  4. ^ Belga (20 December 2015). "Ryad Merhy met Sylvera «Sly» Louis k.o au 6e round (Vidéo)". lavenir.net. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  5. ^ Monbaillu, Laurent (18 May 2016). "Ryad Merhy: "La ceinture WBA reste ici"". dhnet.be. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Ryad Merhy : Mise aux poings". wawamagazine.com. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  7. ^ Belga News (16 October 2016). "Vingtième victoire consécutive pour Merhy". rtbf.be. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  8. ^ Hainaut, David (8 December 2016). "Boxe: Ryad Merhy contre Max Alexander". moustique.be. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Boxe: Ryad Merhy défend sa ceinture WBA". lacapitale.sudinfo.be. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Ryad Merhy s'impose face à l'Américain Mitch Williams et grimpe dans le top 5 mondial". bx1.be. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  11. ^ Frédéric, De Laminne (17 December 2017). "VIDÉOS | Ryad Merhy observe Nick Kisner puis le met KO". lavenir.net. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  12. ^ Loiseau, Hadrien (14 March 2018). "Boxe : Arsen Goulamirian VS Ryad Merhy". moustique.be. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Boxe: le Belge Ryad Merhy, battu par Arsen Goulamirian, loupe le titre de champion du monde WBA lourds-légers". lesoir.be. 24 March 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Ryad Merhy face à Demetrius Banks pour «retrouver les sommets»". lavenir.net. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Boxe : le Bruxellois Ryad Merhy remporte son combat face à l'Américain Demetrius Banks". bx1.be. 21 October 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  16. ^ Random Hits (14 December 2018). "Samuel Clarkson vs. Ryad Merhy in Charleroi, Belgium". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Ryad Merhy vs. Samuel Clarkson: K.o.-Maschinen im Titelduell". ran.de. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  18. ^ Bonfigli, Emiliano; Avengazar, Maxime (3 May 2019). "Boxe: l'ancien champion d'Argentine Cesar David Crenz se dresse sur la route de Ryad Merhy (vidéo)". rtl.be. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  19. ^ Manu Salvé (16 April 2019). "Boxe: le prochain adversaire de Ryad Merhy est connu". lanouvellegazette.sudinfo.be. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  20. ^ "Merhy-Szello WBA Belgium presser". fightnews.com. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  21. ^ BoxingScene Staff (19 October 2019). "Ryad Merhy Blasts Out Imre Szello To Capture WBA Interim Title". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Shumenov stripped, Merhy named WBA cruiser champ". fightnews.com. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Ryad Merhy becomes Belgium's first world boxing champion". brusselstimes.com. 30 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  24. ^ Persson, Ake (5 May 2021). "Ryad Merhy vs. Kevin Lerena in Play For July 17 in Brussels, Belgium". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  25. ^ Persson, Ake (24 June 2021). "Kevin Lerena Injures Hand, Withdraws From Ryad Merhy Clash". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  26. ^ Persson, Ake (2 July 2021). "Ryad Merhy vs. Zhaoxin Zhang Set For July 17 in Brussels". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  27. ^ BoxingScene Staff (18 July 2021). "Ryad Merhy Stops Zhaoxin Zhang in Eight, Jerusalem Wins OPBF Title". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  28. ^ Persson, Per Ake (3 February 2022). "Ryad Merhy vs. Evgeny Tischchenko: WBA Title Clash on March 26 in Ekaterinburg". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  29. ^ "Boxing: Merhy-tishchenko Light Highs Canceled". globalhappenings.com. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  30. ^ "Boxe : Le combat de Junior Ilunga Makabu contre Ryad Merhy confirmé pour le 30 septembre au stade des Martyrs". acturdc.com. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  31. ^ Boxingscene Staff (19 July 2022). "Santa Cruz Ordered To Face Wood, Goulamirian Must Fight Merhy". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  32. ^ Persson, Per Ake (8 August 2022). "Ryad Merhy May Move Up in Weight, Fight With Makabu is Now Off". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  33. ^ Donovan, Jake (14 August 2022). "Arsen Goulamirian Now Sole WBA Cruiserweight Titlist, Merhy Vacates After Passing On Rematch". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  34. ^ Iskenderov, Parviz (19 February 2024). "Jared Anderson to face Ryad Merhy in April in Corpus Christi, Texas". FIGHTMAG.
  35. ^ Hansen, John (14 April 2024). "Jared Anderson wins tedious main event, Efe Ajagba claims split decision over Guido Vianello in an undercard banger". Bad Left Hook.
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Sporting positions
World boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Arsen Goulamirian 		WBA cruiserweight champion
Interim title
19 October 2019 – 29 January 2021
Promoted 		Title discontinued
Preceded by WBA cruiserweight champion
Regular title
29 January 2021 – 12 August 2022
Vacated 		Title discontinued
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