Champion for Charity Shant Sarmazian knows well how crucial children’s hospitals can be for families
By Jeff Hicks
PUSLINCH —
This is not about flooring or boxing.
For Shant Sarmazian, one of Mandy Bujold’s 20 Champions for Charity, this goes deeper.
“We all have a shadow, right?” said the 45-year-old father of three.
Sarmazian certainly does. The unwelcome silhouette appears every few months, when his oldest daughter Olivia goes for an MRI checkup at Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto.
Olivia, now so kind and warm at 25, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour when she was 3.
Regular chemo keeps the tumour perpetually at bay.
“It’s incredible what these hospitals do,” said Sarmazian, carpet-loving custodian of the family flooring business who feels ready for his fundraising boxing debut for McMaster Children’s Hospital in The Brawl at Tapestry Hall on April 4.
“From the treatment for the kids to the help for the parents and families. The support they give is huge.”
Shant’s ring nickname will be The Shadow.
For good or bad, a shadow is something we all bring with us. Maybe it’s the Bad Company cover Five Finger Death Punch sings about in his walk-up song.
Funny how that song came up on his playlist as he drove home from Champions tryouts as local business leaders and community-minded hopefuls gathered at the SydFit Health Centre in Kitchener.
You know what else makes him chuckle? The name Shant means Thunderbolt in Armenian. But The Shadow fits Sarmazian better. It’s deeper. More nuanced. A self-described simple man who has helped the third edition of the Champions raise $564,000 for MacKids.
“We can all use our shadow in positive ways,” he said.
“Sometimes your shadow can be your dark side. But when you hone into it, it can really help a person. I’m realizing that about myself.”
Training your inner hidden pugilist can have its advantages. Sarmazian adores the camaraderie of the Blue Team. When one member is down, the others pick them up.
“Everyone has got each other’s back,” he said. “Everybody’s got their other lives that they’re living. When somebody is having a rough day, we’re all there for each other.”
Boxing is tough. It’s also rewarding.
Like watching Sarmazian’s favourite heavyweight Mike Tyson mature as a fighter. Less of a wild tiger in the ring. Calmer. Wiser. More calculating, like he was against Jake Paul.
The years add up like punches on a scorecard. The Sarmazian family has been in and out of children’s hospitals for 22 years. Now, Shant is fighting for one.
“It kind of hit home being part of this,” he said. “It’s such a great cause. Just a wonderful thing.”
As wonderful as his middle daughter Ana, so tough and strong.
As giving and loving as Minas, his 15-year-old son, and his wife Krissy.
When Shant is out training for the ring, Krissy keeps the household — and everything else — running smoothly.
“Without her, none of this can happen,” Shant said.
But Fight Night is coming up fast. The Shadow is tinged with anxiety for his first fight.
“If you don’t have nerves, that’s kind of strange, I think,” he said.
“But we’ve been trained so well. I feel ready.”
To support Shant, click here.
