Wyatt Sanford might be an Olympic bronze medalist, but as he takes his first steps toward competing in the lightweight division, he admitted there has been an adjustment transitioning to the pro game.
Sanford will return Thursday against Petr Novak in a six-round 139lbs catchweight bout taking place at the Montreal Casino in Montreal.
Sanford, 4-0 (2 KOs), will fight for the fifth time since turning pro in May. Having fought in the 2024 Olympics for Team Canada, he has the pedigree of a future title contender but the demeanor of a small-towner from Kennetcook, Nova Scotia, Canada, where he resides.
After he came in at a little over 139lbs in his past three fights, this bout will signal Sanford’s official start to shrinking down to the lightweight division, which he hopes will be the weight class where he competes at the highest level of the sport.
“I am looking forward to the future to see if I can inch my way down to lightweight,” Sanford told BoxingScene. “This is the first step to go below 140lbs.”
Sanford, who won gold at the 2023 Pan-Am Games, explained the adjustment to transitioning to the pros.
“It is the same sport but very different techniques,” Sanford said. “One of the big adjustments is that it is not non-stop, go, go, go; where, in the amateurs, at the highest level, it is non-stop.”
Sanford, 27, has stayed busy but believes he has flown under the radar. He started his career with three fights within six weeks of each other. He most recently won a six-round unanimous decision over Semjon Kamanin in September.
“I think a lot of people sleep on me,” Sanford said. “Because they watch one fight, they say, ‘This is what he does.’ The more fights you watch, the more you see I am able to adjust and adapt to each fighter and each style.”
Despite being one of the most accomplished Canadian Olympians in some time, Sanford has begun his career quietly compared to other peers from the 2024 Olympics. He is fighting early on undercards, gaining experience. He doesn’t have a huge following on social media. He is just, very quietly, a top prospect. Sanford was recently asked if he thinks he’s considered an underdog.
“It was hit-or-miss with who you spoke to,” Sanford said. “Leading into the Paris Olympics, some people predicted me getting a medal, and some predicted I wouldn’t make it out of the top 16. It really depends on who you ask if I am the underdog or not. That’s fine with me. I am OK being the underdog, because that just means I get to work a little bit harder.”
Novak, 3-0-1 (2 KOs), is the second undefeated fighter Sanford will face in his professional career. A 26-year-old from Bilina, Czechia, Novak will be fighting for the first time in 2025. (All of his previous bouts took place in 2024.) He has competed at welterweight and junior welterweight, and his previous fight was a four-round unanimous decision over Seyidagha Naghiyev.
“It is the first southpaw in the pro world that I am getting to see,” Sanford said. “I am not sure if he is used to coming down to 139lbs. I think his last couple of fights were at 146lbs. He is either going to be really sharp or not used to being that small.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
