It's cliche in a sport where one mistake can leave a man unconscious and completely derail a career, but it fits: Larry (Razor) Sharpe has reached boxing's proverbial crossroads.
The pride of Pine Falls heads to Toronto this weekend to begin final preparations for his next bout -- a matchup against Argentine Jos © Joaquin Gomez (55-20-5) for the vacant WBA Fedecentro light middleweight title in the main event of Tuesday's Shaw Festival 23rd Annual Gentlemen's Boxing Evening at the Royal York Hotel.
A win would not only up his record to 21-4-1, it would propel Sharpe -- a 33-year-old father of three who has taken a sabbatical from his teaching job -- into boxing's elite and a top 10 ranking.
Automatic top-10 ranking
A loss and...
"At this stage, if I was to lose... I don't think I'd come out and say I was going to retire right away, but it would be something I would certainly be leaning towards," said Sharpe Thursday from Pine Falls.
"If I win this fight, I've got an international title under my belt, which means an automatic top-10 ranking in the WBA, and once you're there, you're able to fight for the title. If I win this fight, I'd possibly be in the position where I could get a fight with (WBA world champ Joachim) Alcine in Montreal for a world title.
"I have to win this. If I don't, I'm not young anymore and I can't get back in line and work my way back. I definitely wouldn't take another year off work, because I'm struggling now to pay bills."
Managed and financed by "King" John Vernaus, Sharpe has not only dedicated the last year to training and his family, he recently spent two weeks in Montreal sparring to sharpen his skills.
He'll need it against Gomez, who went 10 rounds with Alcine last year before being disqualified for a low blow. Gomez is just 5-foot-6, giving Sharpe a six-inch height advantage, but he attacks opponents relentlessly.
"He's a buzz saw who just comes right at you," Vernaus said. "Now it's time for Larry to step up. He's been doing really well. He's more offensive now, his hands are faster and he's got way more power. He's a more well-rounded fighter... Before, he was more defensive, working on the outside and fighting careful. Now he opens up. I said, 'You're too boring. People don't like it. We need you to step it up and make it more interesting.' He did that last year at the Shaw Festival and stopped Brian Mackie in the 11th round. They love him there."
Should Sharpe win, he'll likely be done with the Shaw crowd and on to bigger venues like the Bell Centre in Montreal. And, more importantly, bigger paydays. Again, however, at 33 the next loss could be devastating.
"I wouldn't say that makes it stressful," Sharpe said. "All it does is just makes me focus more. There are lot of people who may have more potential than me, but when you focus on something 100 per cent, there's a lot you can do. "I'm getting better all the time still, but the biggest thing for me has been my will, my heart pushing through. If I'm focused in the right direction I don't think anything can stop me."
ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca
Manitoba presence at the Shaw
The fancy-schmancy fight crowd at the annual Shaw Festival's 'Gentlemen's Boxing Evening' -- $1,000 a plate -- seems to have a thing for Manitoba fighters.
"ö Larry Sharpe will be joined by Gareth Sutherland and Codey Hanna, both of Winnipeg, on the card while the likes of Chad Brisson have been featured on cards of the past.
Here's what's at stake for Sutherland and Hanna:
"ö Sutherland, 17-7, is the Canadian light middleweight champion and will defend the belt against 46-year-old Donovan Boucher (32-5), the former Canadian and Commonwealth champion who is 3-0 on the comeback trail after retiring the ring in 1996;
"ö Hanna, 7-2-1, is the 12th-ranked light middleweight in Canada and meets Toronto's Tebor Brosch (1-2) in a six-round bout.
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