After years of looking down from the top of the WBO junior lightweight rankings, Archie Sharpe suddenly found himself looking up at unknown Argentinean Leuquen Arce.
Sharpe's star has dwindled in recent years due to a lack of action, politics and a switch of promotions, so when he was injured in the first round of his television return last month in a heavy loss to Arce, it's fair to say the 29-year-old's career flashed before his eyes.
Fortunately for Sharpe, Arce rose to the occasion – a man who was wild and reckless rather than cold and calculating – and helped Sharpe steer himself through the biggest crisis of his career.
“I've never been hurt, I've never been shaken, I've never been wobbled. I've been fighting hard hitters for a long time,” Sharpe said in an interview with Bright Boxing. “No matter who I'm fighting, I've got to be a little humble because I'm fighting guys with eight-ounce gloves on. They're guys, and if they're swinging their gloves around and I can take them…”
Sharpe (25-0, 9 KOs) recovered and dominated Arce to win an eight-round decision, but his early nerves were palpable, as he returned to his corner after each round and spent much of the one-minute break shaking his head and loudly criticizing himself.
Thinking about it calmly, Sharp was able to understand the meaning of his work last night.
“After the fight, people were saying this might be the best thing that's ever happened to me, but I thought, 'What's so great about losing in the first round? There's nothing good about that.' But it's an experience. You have to stay focused no matter who's in front of you.”
Sharp will not be able to let his guard down for even a moment if, as rumours suggest, he is set to face Ryan Garner at the O2 Arena on July 27. The talented “Piranha” has finally hit his stride, scoring a career-best win over former British champion Liam Dillon on the same card as the Sharp vs Arce fight.
Over the past five years, both fighters' careers have changed dramatically. While Sharp was at the peak of his career, Garner was at his lowest. While Sharp racked up impressive wins over Lyon Woodstock, Jordan McCrory and Declan Geraghty, Garner was unable to make weight limits, missed fights, became lost outside the ring and put a promising career at risk.
Sharp recognises that the situation has now changed significantly, but believes the greater the challenge, the better he can perform.
“It would be a great fight if that happens,” he said. “At the end of the day I just want to get in a big fight for a title and get back to where I belong, which is number one. I want people to see the best of Archie Sharpe. An eight-round fight against someone you should beat is the one you're most likely to lose because you don't want to lose. My best fight was against Deco. [Geraghty] Or Lyon Woodstock when the pressure is on, that's when you see Archie Sharp at his best.
“I believe in my abilities and I believe I'm the best. [Anthony] “Kakache, I won't lie. After that, it would have been great to share the ring with him now that he's back with the belt again. Fair play to Kakache. It was a great performance.”
Cacace, of course, captured the IBF junior lightweight title from Joe Cordina in Saudi Arabia last month. Cacace, who also holds the IBO belt, has long been a villain for Britain's best 130-pound fighters, but a matchup with the hard-hitting and talented Northern Irishman has suddenly, predictably, become a much more enticing prospect. It may seem ambitious and even a little presumptuous after a tough fight with Arce, but Sharp would like to be the first to challenge for the 35-year-old Cacace's world title belt.
“He's a great fighter. He's been around for a long time and he's a few years older than us so I've watched him and he's a great fighter,” Sharp said of Kakace. “Now I'm back with the team. [Queensberry]”I feel like I'm in a great position. It would have been nice if it had happened on July 27, but I hear him say now that he has other matches, mandatory matches, and there are political considerations behind it as well.”
“Same with Garner,” Sharpe said of facing the 26-year-old from Southampton, England, on July 27. “He had a really tough fight – cuts and everything. I wasn't optimistic that it was going to happen. He'd just come out of an eight- or 10-week camp and it had taken a toll on his body. Then he had a tough 10-round fight with Dillon. Even though he won easily, Dillon went out there and was throwing punches. He had cuts, bruises, some pretty bad limb injuries.”
Regardless of who Sharpe faces next, he believes he is just approaching his prime and is inspired by his peers in the junior lightweight division.
“Kakase, Joe Cordina, Maxi Hughes, Lee Wood – all those great fights went to 30 rounds,” Sharpe said. “I feel I'm a much better fighter now than I was when I was 24 and boxing Woodstock. Archie Sharpe today would have beaten Woodstock in four rounds. I'm a totally different fighter to the person I was four years ago, and at 29 years old, I truly believe I'm in the prime of my life.”
