The Tribune

by RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN heavyweight Amron Sands has learned the opponent for his next pro bout.

Sands will face American Gary Kelly October 28 at Ice Entertainment's "The Beginning" hosted at the Cocoa Beach Sports Complex in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

The card will feature 10 bouts featuring up and coming fighters in the Florida area.

Kelly, 38, comes in with a record of 1-5 and has lost five consecutive bouts following his successful debut in 2014.

His last fight resulted in a seventh-round knockout at the hands of Romarick Ngoula in July 2016.

En route to a sparring session in Miami, Florida, Sands said learning his opponent has slightly adjusted his training regimen, but the general approach remains the same.

"He's a southpaw, I'm a southpaw as well so I've just been training with a lot of left-handers getting ready for this fight," he said.

"You approach all fighters the same basically because you don't want to underestimate anyone in the ring.

"I'm still going into the fight focused on trying to get the win and see how things go from there. I've been doing a lot of training camps, but it doesn't change much, I'm still trying to go out there and do my best to get the win."

The 23-year-old made his heavyweight debut with a TKO win over Julio Mendoza at the Lakeland Events Center in Lakeland, Florida, on August 5.

A former basketball player, Sands used boxing to help his recovery process following an injury but eventually fell in love with the sport.

"I was recovering from an ACL/MCL injury I sustained in Oklahoma while playing AAU basketball and began training with Ron Rodgers at Strikers Boxing Club to get back in shape. Ron saw my progress and convinced me to try boxing too."

Sands made the full transition and spent three years in the amateur ranks. He has four more fights scheduled for 2017.

"I hope to bring back the glory of the Ali era to the heavyweight division and to be the first Bahamian heavyweight champion. I would like to give the youth another option besides track and basketball as a sport. Baseball is making a comeback as well. Boxing is an individual sport where you determine how far you go with the right people around you and financial backing of course."