DiBella Entertainment has added six-foot-six Bahamian heavyweight Amron "The Sandman" Sands (8-0, 7 KOs) to its roster. Sands, from Orland, Florida,  is managed by Kevin Dever Sports Management. In his last bout, on February 16th, Sands needed less than one round to stop Hector Hodge (3-4) at St. Petersburg Coliseum in Florida. Details on Sands' next contest will be announced shortly. "Amron is a big heavyweight with a lot of power," said Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment. "The heavyweight division is hot right now and Sands has the kind of style that will entertain the audience. I'm happy to be working again with my friend Kevin Dever and, together, we will make sure that Amron reaches his full potential."

 

Born in Nassau, Bahamas, Sands initially aspired to become a professional basketball player. His natural athleticism and talent were recognized at an early age and led him to receiving a scholarship to attend the sports-oriented high school Save Our Youth Leadership Academy in Tulsa, OK. However, during a senior year basketball game, Sands damaged the ACL and MCL in his right knee, which forced him to withdraw from the school and return home to the Bahamas.

 

Sands' boxing journey began when he reconnected with Ronn Rodgers, an old basketball coach from his youth who now owned a local boxing gym in Nassau, Bahamas. While Sands was training at Strikers School of Boxing to aid his recovery from the knee injury and get back in shape, Rodgers saw potential and urged him consider competing in boxing.

 

It wasn't until he survived what could have been a fatal motorcycle accident, which left third-degree burns all over the right side of his body, that Sands found the motivation to enter the world of pugilism. "I was 19 years old, riding my motorcycle and going 110 mph, not wearing a helmet or vest, just shorts and a tank top," said Sands. "The bike skidded on some dirt when I was trying to get around a car and I lost control. The bike flipped over and I went flying, landing on the pavement maybe 100 feet away while the bike hit a tree. It's a miracle that I didn't break any bones; I guess I have a pretty good chin.

 

"Following an experience like that, where I could have died, I wanted to move my life in a positive direction and decided to heed coach Rodgers' advice to take up boxing."

 

After earning silver at the 2014 Independent Cup in the Dominican Republic, Sands moved with his family to Orlando, FL, and started training out of Orlando Boxing Academy with head coach Buck Mitchell. Accumulating an overall amateur record of 40-3, Sands also won first place at the 2015 Florida State PAL Boxing Championships and 2016 Sugar Bert Promotions Title Belt National Qualifier. His Olympic dreams were dashed when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled that he did not yet have enough experience to compete in any qualifying tournaments. That decision prompted Sands to turn pro and he debuted on August 5, 2017, dropping Julio Mendoza twice to score a TKO victory in 86 seconds. With Mitchell in his corner, the heavy-handed Sands has thus far won all but one of his bouts by knockout.

 

"I signed with DiBella Entertainment because Lou is one of the most trustworthy promoters in boxing and he has great relationships in the business to get my name out there," said Sands. "I know that, with his guidance, I can become heavyweight champion of the world. I can box and I can bang and I'm what the heavyweight division needs. I'm very excited about my future and am ready to put in the work."