‘Incredible journey’ for Slade
Once 300 pounds, boxer Andrew Slade has trimmed down to 168 for his pro debut on Saturday at the PMC
Andrew Slade calls it “an incredible journey” from the first day he walked into a boxing gym seven years ago to his professional debut set for Saturday.
The 23-year-old Peterborough native weighed 300 pounds when he was 16 and followed friend RIley Myers, then a 4-0 amateur, into the now defunct Peterborough Boxing Club. Two weeks later, Slade had lost 10 pounds and felt good so he kept going; six days a week for a full year. At the end of the year, he weighed 200 pounds.
When he enters the ring against Mexico’s Enrique Contreras, also making his pro debut, Slade will weigh 168 pounds. His fight is part of the undercard of Homecoming: The Return of Cody Crowley at the Memorial Centre. Crowley (11-0-0, 6 KO’s) meets Mexico’s Edgar Ortega (17-7-0, 11 KO’s) in the 10-round main event.
Once he attained his weight loss goal, Slade, then 17, said he recalls the moment he set turning professional as a goal.
“I was doing hill sprints one day and I felt like puking and I felt like quitting. My legs hurt and I was sweating. I’d never wanted to quit so bad in all my life,” said Slade, who possesses a 31-4 amateur record.
“I told myself, if my brain keeps telling my legs to keep pumping, keep going, what’s going to stop me? I kept going and 20 minutes later I was still going up and down that hill. I realized I’m the only one who can stop myself.
“That’s the day I decided, all those years ago, as foolish as it sounds, I was going to be a pro boxer.”
He now has a seven-year track record to show when he pus his mind to something he’ll see it through. Boxing changed his life.
“Boxing became a lifestyle,” he said. “I got hooked. I lost the weight and had my first fight and from then on it was a personal challenge. It was me versus me. It wasn’t me versus any of my opponents or me trying to be better than anyone else. It was me trying to improve myself on a daily basis. I truly got hooked on that.”
Slade also trained at BEL Boxing Club before it’s closure and is now trained by Brodie Boone from the Hamilton Boxing Club. He trains at 24/7 gym locally, has a home gym as well and gets in some sparring at Scrapyard Boxing Club. It’s taken a while to get his pro licence and now he’s ready to realize his goal and then some.
“A lot of different things really have to work out to make this happen. We have to be ready to fight. There has to be an opponent in place. There has to be a card in place. It’s been over a year, probably two years, chasing this.
“I’m the fighter so I always feel I’m ready but coach has decided this is the time and he feels I’m ready. All the pieces of the puzzle have really come into place. I have to give a huge shout out and thank you to Cody Crowley for part of this. He’s the one who has made this possible by bringing boxing back to Peterborough. I’m honoured to be fighting on this card and making my debut right here in my hometown.”
It’s almost hard to believe it’s happening, he says.
“It’s a surreal feeling. Training camp has gone great. We stay in shape all the time but we’ve had 10 weeks of solid training to prepare for this fight. My cardio is ready. I’m on weight. It’s all just staying healthy and ready to fight,” he said.
Slade doesn’t know a lot about his opponent.
“I know he’s an aggressive fighter. He comes in really good shape and will be coming to put on a show, just like me. I really like that. Anyone who has seen me fight knows I’m an aggressive style. An entertaining style. If we have someone else to match that it’s going to be a great show.”
Tickets for the six-bout card, ranging from $39.60 to $65.50 for regular bowl seats, are on sale at the PMC box office or online at www.memorialcentre.ca. For a ringside sponsor table email triplecboxing@outlook.com.