The Tribune

BAHAMIAN professional heavyweight boxer Amron Sands has signed with new management in an effort to capitalise on more opportunities to develop his career.

Sands, 25, takes his undefeated record of 8-0 with 7KOs to Kevin Dever Sports Management.

“I signed with Kevin because he is very educated about the sport of boxing and he came highly recommended,” Sands said in a press release. “He really knows boxing and I feel comfortable working with him. I know that we are going to make some big things happen.”

Sands last fought on February 16 in a TKO win over Hector Hodge at the St Petersburg Coliseum in St Petersburg, Florida. He made his heavyweight debut with a TKO win over Julio Mendoza at the Lakeland Events Center in Lakeland, Florida, on August 5 2017.

He followed with consecutive knockout wins over Eric Evans (November 18 at the Crossroads Arena in Corinth) and Kendrick Houston (February 17 2018 at the Orlando Live Event Center). He spoiled the debut for Darrell Parker with a TKO at the Florida State Fairgrounds Hall in Tampa on May 18.

Sands made his pro debut at home on the undercard of “The Backyard Rumble” with a unanimous decision over Jerry Butler on May 26. He returned to the US and scored a knockout win over Cade Rodriguez on July 21. He then defeated American journeyman Francois Russell via second round TKO on the undercard of Friday Night Brawl, hosted at the Bryan Glazer Family JCC Auditorium in Tampa, Florida.

“I can do it all. I can box, but I favour brawling, because it shows who has the bigger heart. No one has a bigger heart than me,” Sands said. “I just need to listen to my team and let Kevin do his job. I’ll do mine and we can make it to the top.”

Based in Orlando, Florida, at Orlando Boxing Academy, Sands continues to build his record in preparation for expansion.

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

He made the full transition and spent three years in the amateur ranks.

Sands travelled to training camps in Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela in an effort to prepare for the 2016 Olympics, but decided to turn pro once that dream did not come to fruition.

“A good friend I really trust told me about Amron and suggested that I give boxing one more try. So, I watched some tapes of him and saw that he punches hard and he can take a punch, too. He’s athletic and very quick on his feet for a big guy.

“I now know that he’s a very graceful, carefree guy but, when the bell rings, it’s like a switch goes off and he’s a different guy,” Dever said. “He reminds me of how Lennox Lewis was, and I got my start working on his team. I learned a lot and hopefully Amron will be close to being as successful as Lennox.”