CLEVELAND, Ohio – After an early morning run, breakfast and small rest, heavyweight contender Mike Sheppard gets into his car and travels to the gym for the serious work; he literally travels. Some days it takes him an hour-and-a-half just to get a little bit of sparring. Living in Elizabeth, W.Va., Sheppard (15-10-1, 8 KOs) is not exactly in the middle of a boxing hotbed. His motivation is now the biggest opportunity of his career this Friday when he will be fighting for the NABA U.S. and Ohio State Heavyweight titles against Nick Firtha in Cleveland.
Firtha (18-7-1, 8 KOs) is coming off a huge upset victory over regarded prospect Tony Grano last June in Connecticut. He promised a classic American heavyweight showdown with Sheppard at the initial press conference in early August, and Sheppard expects nothing less. “I really want this bad,” Sheppard said. “I know he really wants this bad too and it’s going to be a great fight.”
Sheppard knows that Firtha is at his career high after the second round demolition of Grano, so he and his trainer Leon Ramsey have made trips to Huntington, Charleston, and even put together their own secluded camps to get the best training and put himself on top of his game. “My trainer has like a resort out here in the country and we brought guys in and would train twice a day,” Sheppard said. “We brought a couple guys in and just did it. They would do two rounds each, sit two, and then get back up so they were always fresh and I’m getting the hardest work.”
The game plan they’ve developed is no secret for this fight. Sheppard is diverse enough in different styles of fighting that he can adjust his boxing style, but for this fight, he’s coming at Firtha. “Some guys that are shorter than me I’ll stay back and box and let them come to me,” Sheppard said. “This guy is tall so I have to go forward.”
The start to Sheppard’s career was as tough as he expects this upcoming fight to be. With hardly an amateur program or gyms in the state, Sheppard was forced to gain his fighting experience through tough man contests and kick boxing.
He participated in 35 kick boxing contests in six different countries. “I actually won three world titles in kick boxing,” Sheppard said. “I went to Moscow and I fought the world champion over there, of course he’s Russian, and I knocked him out.”
Sheppard learned a lot through his other fight experiences, but the learning curve once turning professional in boxing was still a much for him. He’s needed time to develop at the expense of his record. “I learned a lot going from one-minute rounds to three-minute rounds,” Sheppard said. “It was really hard and I got a lot of losses early that I shouldn’t have lost. But I kept coming back and learning and I’ve learned from those losses and get better every time.”
Sheppard was his own manager for a while and took many fights against opponents he wasn’t ready for. Through his 10 defeats, the combined record of his opponents going into the fights is 140-16-8.
Now, after 26 fights and the best training camp of his career, Sheppard feels as if the sky is the limit should he obtain this much needed victory. “When I was away kick boxing these other guys were building their boxing records. Well I didn’t. I really never did build up my record,” Sheppard said. “A win could put me on the world map. You’re going to see my name on the same list as the Klitschko’s and Sam Peter, those guys; the elite fighters.”
The winner of this fight will be ranked in the World Boxing Association making them eligible to fight for a world championship. For such an opportunity, Sheppard plans to leave his all in the ring Friday night in Cleveland. “I overcame the losses and now I’m on top of my game. I’m the best I’ve ever been right now.”
In the Co-featured bout of the evening, undefeated Cleveland Junior Middleweight Dante Moore (6-0, 4 KO’s) will battle his toughest opponent to date, Corey “Collateral Damage” Rodriguez (4-1-1, 3 KO’s) of Minneapolis, MN in a six round bout. “The Pride of Lorain” Wilkins Santiago (1-0), coming off a scintillating pro-debut in April will also see action in a four round middleweight bout against Matt Keglovic (1-1, 1 KO). Heavyweights Jason Massie (5-0, 4 KO’s) and Mujaheed Moor (4-3, 3 KO’s) will square off over four rounds. Cleveland junior middleweight Michael Moore (1-0, 1 KO) will also be featured.
Doors open at 4:00 PM, with the first bell set for 7:30 PM.
Tickets for Friday Night Fights will go on sale Wednesday, July 21 through all Ticketmaster locations and online at livenation.com. Tickets start at just $25 for general admission. There are also tables seating eight for $600, Tables seating four for $300, Ringside for $75, and floor seats for $50. For more information please call 216-854-0485.