Dandrej Felix Ram At The Fights interview on Canadian nationals

The Dandrej Felix Ram At The Fights interview centered on an unusual pace: Felix said the upcoming Canadian National Boxing Championships would be his 39th fight, less than three years after he began boxing seriously. He told Ram At The Fights that he first entered the gym to lose weight, won his debut after his coach pushed him to compete, and hopes one day to represent either Canada or Grenada internationally.

Why did Dandrej Felix start boxing?

Dandrej Felix started boxing to lose weight after reaching 235 pounds, not because he planned to compete. He said he had tried fitness-oriented boxing years earlier, but his competitive career began only after a coach saw potential in him and prompted him to take a fight.

From fitness classes to 235 pounds

Felix recalled going to a group fitness class around 2019, when he was about 18. He and his friends hit bags, but he said they did not learn a boxing foundation or prepare to fight. When COVID shut down the gym, his weight rose from roughly 160 pounds to 235.

At 23, he decided to make a change and signed up at a gym. Even after he began taking classes and lessons with a coach, he had no intention of competing. Boxing was initially a way to address his health, rather than a career plan.

The coach who prompted his first fight

While Felix was hitting a bag, his coach approached and said he had booked him a fight. Felix asked whether he was ready. Only then did the coach admit he had made up the booking and would arrange a real fight if Felix wanted one. Felix agreed, won his debut and kept competing.

He described his approach since then as all or nothing. Felix believes preparation becomes visible once a boxer enters the ring, a view that helps explain why he stayed with the sport after a first fight he had not expected to take.

What did Dandrej Felix say about the Canadian National Boxing Championships?

Dandrej Felix said the Canadian National Boxing Championships would be his 39th fight. He won bronze at the previous edition and said he had reached Canada’s top ten in less than three years of boxing. This time, his preparation focused on controlling distance and sustaining his pace through three rounds.

Four days of scheduled fights

Felix said his weight division put him on a path to fight Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday if he kept winning. He described the event as an elimination tournament, with the two losing semifinalists also fighting to determine a single bronze medalist rather than sharing bronze.

He was less than a week from the championships when we spoke. His gym had increased lessons, sparring and technical work for the event, though Felix said he treats training as a year-round commitment. Amateur opportunities can arise on short notice, so he tries to remain ready between major tournaments.

Range control and three-round conditioning

The specific technical priority was range: staying close enough to attack without getting tied up or standing too far away. Felix described matching an opponent’s movement, stepping forward when the opponent retreated and back when the opponent advanced. He wanted to remain engaged while keeping a defensively responsible position.

Conditioning mattered just as much for the fast pace of amateur boxing. Alongside running, he said his training included assault bikes and rowing machines. The aim was to be ready for three hard rounds, including on successive tournament days.

Could Dandrej Felix represent Canada or Grenada internationally?

Dandrej Felix hopes to represent either Canada or Grenada internationally before deciding when to turn professional. He said his Grenadian background gives him two possible national-team routes, and he would be happy to fight for either country because he considers both home.

His immediate goal was to try to win gold at the Canadian nationals and pursue a place with the Canadian national boxing team. He also identified the Grenadian national boxing team as an option. Felix said he would weigh which opportunity came first and which felt like the better representation.

International competition and a possible Olympic route are among his ambitions, but he did not present a professional debut as imminent. For now, he sees amateur fights as a chance to develop against different styles. He argued that avoiding difficult opponents at this stage would leave a boxer less prepared for the same types of opponents later.

How does Dandrej Felix balance boxing training with his business?

Dandrej Felix runs a landscaping and hardscaping company while training and coaching at his gym. He said his usual day can begin with a five-kilometer run, continue at a work site and end with two or three hours of boxing training, with some days including an additional morning gym session.

Work sites and evening gym sessions

Felix said he started the company around 2020 or 2021. Its work includes excavation and demolition. He described working from about 6:45 a.m. until 5 p.m., then driving roughly an hour to the gym and training from around 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. On other days, he trains before work as well.

He also coaches clients at the gym, which helps keep him active and involved in boxing. Felix said amateur boxing does not pay him, so he considers the time and money he puts into it an investment, much as he does with his business.

Felix summed up why the extra work matters to him:

The ring shows everything you've done.

Outside scheduled sessions, he said he shadowboxes, moves around and watches footage of professional and high-level amateur boxers. His point was not that every day looks identical, but that he continues finding time to practice alongside work.

Which boxers inspire Dandrej Felix?

Dandrej Felix named David Benavidez, Terence Crawford and Anthony Joshua as boxers he studies or draws motivation from. He connected Benavidez’s size and weight journey to his own, admired Crawford’s discipline, and cited Joshua while discussing what a later start in boxing can demand.

Benavidez stood out to Felix for his size and power. He also pointed to Benavidez coming down in weight, which resonated with Felix’s own experience of entering boxing after reaching 235 pounds. Crawford represented the value Felix places on discipline and sustained work against strong opposition.

Felix said he began taking boxing seriously at about 23 or 24. Rather than treating that as a reason to limit his goals, he believes a late starter must work harder. He said he had beaten opponents with far more years in the gym while he was still relatively new to competition.

What does Dandrej Felix want to show at the Canadian nationals?

Dandrej Felix wants his performance at the Canadian nationals to show the work he has put in every day. He spoke confidently about bringing energy to the ring and giving everything he has, while looking beyond this tournament toward the possibility of professional shows in the future.

He calls himself Rambo and invited viewers to judge the nickname by watching him fight. The immediate test, though, was the national tournament: a return after his previous bronze medal, with a potential run of consecutive fight days and a chance to advance his international ambitions.