The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AMRON Sands, the Bahamian heavyweight contender now under new management, will return to the boxing ring on Friday, August 23 when he takes on American southpaw Thomas Hawkins at the Bryan Glazer Family JCC Auditorium in Tampa, Florida.

Now under contract with Dever Sports Management and promoted by DiBella Entertainment, the 25-year-old Sands will take his perfect 8-0 win-loss record with seven knockouts into the ring against the 29-year-old Hawkins, who is 4-4.

Hawkins, a native and resident of Houston, Texas, has knocked out one of his opponents, but he was knocked out twice.

“The fight is already sold out,” said Sands, who has gotten word that his promoter Lou DiBella, the second biggest promoter in the sport, will be in attendance to watch him fight for the first time.

“So I’m really excited about having him there. We expect to put on a good show. I won’t say that I’m going for a knockout, but if I see it, I’m going to go for it. My opponent also had eight fights, the same amount as me, but he only had four knockouts. So I’m training to go out and do my thing.”

Former basketball player Sands, who used boxing at the time to get through rehab to recover from an injury, is based in Orlando, Florida. He’s now being coached by Buck Mitchell and Kevin Dever is his manager.

“I think out of my eight fights, this is the best shape that I’ve been in so far,” Sands said. “So my sparring is there, my training is there. Everything is in place for me to put on a great showing.

“All of the hard training is done. We’re just winding down and waiting on the fight.”

In Sands’ last fight on February 16 at the St Petersburg Coliseum in St Petersburg, Florida, Sands won by a TKO over Hector Hodge. It was Sands’ first fight for the year.

Sands, who enjoys an extensive amateur career with a 40-3 win-loss record, turned pro on August 5, 2017 when he made a successful debut with a TKO over Julio Mendoza.

He closed out the year with his second fight on November 18, 2017 with a knockout win over Eric Evans.

In 2018, Sands was victorious in all five of his fights over Kendrick Houston in Orlando, Florida on February 17, Darrell Parker on May 18 at the Florida State Fairgrounds Hall in Tampa, Jerry ‘Big Daddy’ Butler on May 26 at the A Social Affair and Convention Center in Grand Bahama, Rodriquez Cade on July 21 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa and Francois Russell on October 5 at the Bryan Glazer Family JCC Auditorium in Tampa.

Against Hawkins, Sands will face a competitor who is coming off his fourth consecutive loss on April 19, 2019 against Oscar Torrez at the DoubleTree Hotel in Ontario, Canada.

Prior to that, Hawkins had losses against Mario Moore on August 4 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Trey Lippe on January 23, 2016 at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Florida and Joe Duron on August 29 at the Legends Sports Complex in Woodlands, Texas.

Hawkins turned pro on April 28, 2012 when he won his debut over Alonzo Toney at the Convention Center in Galveston, Houston, Texas. He had three successful fights in 2012 and his last victory came on July 24, 2014 over William Durham at the Bayou Event Center in Houston, Texas.