🇬🇧 World Champion's Cutman
Behind the Scenes of Ryad Merhy's WBC World Title: My Story as a Cutman – Christos Tsalkitzis
On May 30, 2026, Ryad Merhy stepped into the ring to fight for the WBC World Bridgerweight title. Just hours earlier, in the privacy of the dressing room, I wrapped his hands under the watchful eyes of the WBC inspector and the opposing camp. Shortly after, I took my place in his corner to live every round of a fight that would crown him world champion.
This is the story of my journey alongside Ryad Merhy —from my early days as a cutman to a night I will never forget.
The Beginning of the Journey
My journey in professional boxing began in Antoine Vanackère's corner. Right from the start, I wanted to be as useful as possible, which led me to study the art of the cutman—a discipline that quickly became a true passion. To give athletes the absolute best anatomical protection for their hands, I trained relentlessly and seized every opportunity to hone my craft, even abroad. That included immersion courses in Springfield, Massachusetts, learning alongside Hector Bermudez, one of the most respected trainers and cutmen on the global circuit.
The real turning point came while I was cornering Antoine during one of his fights. On-site, Sam (Samuel De Cubber), the iconic trainer of the Marseille Boxing Club (MBC), asked me to wrap Ryad Merhy's hands for his WBC Africa heavyweight title fight. I already had a few pro fights under my belt, but it was my first time wrapping hands for an official championship. The pressure was very real—we weren't talking about a minor title, and we certainly weren't dealing with just any fighter!
Ryad secured a dominant victory. As for me, I was thrilled to have prepared his hands—I am truly passionate about this work.
That first experience with Ryad marked the beginning of a partnership that would quickly reach a whole new level.
A few months later, Sam reached out to me once again to join Ryad for his fight against Kevin Lerena—this time with an even bigger prize on the line: the WBC World Title. I was both honored and thrilled!
The Preparation
You don't wrap hands for a world championship on a whim on fight night. A fighter's trust is built—and earned—through repetition.
For several weeks leading up to the fight, I traveled to Ryad's sparring sessions multiple times a week.
The goal? To get to know his hands inside out, meet his exact requirements, gauge his feedback, adjust the thickness of the gauze and padding, and find the precise tension for his wrists.
A professional hand wrap isn't just about winding tape around a hand. It must protect high-impact areas and stabilize the joints while maintaining the necessary freedom of movement to form a solid fist.
Too much tension can cause discomfort and distract the fighter; conversely, too little support compromises the intended protection. The key is striking the perfect balance between protection, comfort, and performance.
That is precisely why testing and refining the wrap during the weeks before fight night is so crucial.
This routine allowed us to craft the perfect wrap for him: one that provides maximum impact protection without ever hindering his fist closure or wrist mobility—ensuring that on fight night, there is no room left for doubt.
Fight Day
Fight day arrives, and Ryad enters the dressing room a few hours before the showdown. Far from the tension you might expect for an event of this scale, he walks in confident, with a broad smile on his face, totally relaxed. His calm demeanor is contagious and immediately puts me at ease.
The WBC sets a precise time for wrapping hands. In a standard professional fight, an official and a member of the opponent's team simply inspect the finished wrap. For an official WBC championship, it is a whole different level: protocol demands end-to-end supervision.
Apart from the photographers and camera crew, there are just four of us in the privacy of the dressing room: Ryad, the official WBC inspector, the representative from the opposing camp, and myself. The inspection is painstaking:
The WBC inspector feels the gauze, verifies tape compliance, and watches the entire application process to confirm that the finished wrap abides by the sanctioning body's rules. He also ensures the tape provides proper protection for the fighter.
The opposing camp representative scrupulously checks that there are no irregularities or hidden elements that could injure his fighter.
From the outside, this check might seem purely formal. To me, it felt like the culmination of weeks of hard work.
Cutman Christos Tsalkitzis wrapping Ryad Merhy's hands before WBC world championship
To approach this moment, I stick to the routine established during our weeks of preparation. At first, Ryad and I keep things light with casual banter. Then, minute by minute, the focused, technical dialogue between cutman and fighter takes over:
“How’s the tension?” — “Not too tight around the thumb?” — “Let’s just loosen it slightly right here.” — “Like that, it’s perfect.”
As the gauze and tape wrap around his hands, Ryad locks in, locking into the feel of the wraps and already visualizing the fight ahead. Finally, the referee signs off on the wraps. At that exact moment, it’s official: the work in the dressing room is done.
The World Title Fight
For the ring walk, the corner team is fully assembled: Sam, the head coach; Aurélien, Ryad's best friend; Patrick, his very first trainer; Alain Vanackère, his manager (https://12rounds.be/); and myself.
In that moment, the contrast is striking. The smile and lightheartedness Ryad displayed earlier in the evening vanish, giving way to an impenetrable calm. He is no longer the same man. The smile is gone. His gaze has locked in, and his entire focus is fully dialed into the fight ahead.
We walk toward the ring carrying an energy that is hard to put into words. The arena is electric, and in that moment, the true scale of what we are experiencing hits me completely.
Once inside the ring, a overwhelming sense of pride washes over me as I sing the Belgian national anthem, standing behind that beautiful flag I hold so dear.
My role didn't stop with the hand wraps. Once the fight began, my place was in the corner, tasked with monitoring any potential cuts, bleeding, swelling, or the general condition of Ryad's face between rounds.
The interval between rounds lasts just sixty seconds. A cutman's work must be done with urgency, but never with haste. While Sam delivers his instructions, my role is complementary: observe, step in when necessary, protect and preserve whatever can be managed, all while staying in perfect lockstep with the rest of the corner. Every move counts.
Fortunately, Ryad was never troubled during the fight and suffered no injuries that required special intervention.
AAs the rounds progress, Ryad steps up to the moment. He dictates the pace, quickly takes control, and masterfully dominates the fight. The hard work pays off: Ryad is crowned WBC World Bridgerweight Champion! An explosion of joy seals this magical night.
A Human Adventure
Beyond the athletic achievement, it is above all the human adventure that will remain etched in my memory. A few weeks after the victory, Alain Vanackère presented me with a WBC medal. Ryad, for his part, gave me the "WBC Champion's Team" cap. Today, I proudly display both of these trophies in my office.
They mean a great deal to me: they symbolize the trust built fight after fight and the place I was fortunate enough to hold within this team.
This recognition culminated at the official ceremony where Ryad was awarded the Medal of Honor by the City of Charleroi.
This night will remain a major milestone in my journey, but it isn't the finish line.
Above all, it confirms one thing: I want to keep growing, training, and standing in the corner of fighters at the highest level.
With the WBC under our belt, the objective is now clear: experience this same journey across the other major sanctioning bodies, setting our sights on the WBA, the WBO, and the IBF.
One world championship behind me. Three new horizons ahead.
Let’s be CUTMAN UNDISPUTED !
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About the Author:
Christos Tsalkitzis is a Cutman for a WBC World Champion and a licensed Osteopath (D.O.). Specializing in hand protection for boxers (pro wrapping) and ring-corner fight care, he supports professional athletes, clubs, and promoters at major combat sports events.
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