Wyatt Sanford will take a second swing at a first professional fight.

The 2024 Olympic bronze medalist will now make his celebrated pro debut on May 17, promoter Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM) confirmed on Tuesday. Sanford will face Argentina’s Gonzalo Omar Manriquez in the co-feature slot of a Plaid Army Entertainment show to take place at the Fredericton Coliseum in New Brunswick, Canada. 

“I can’t wait to get back in the ring, especially with the chance to do it so close to home,” said Sanford, who hails from Kennetcook, Nova Scotia. “I already feel ready to fight, and more importantly, to deliver a great performance.

Their scheduled four-round junior welterweight contest will take place five weeks after Sanford was due to face Shawn Archer on an April 10 ESPN+ show from Montreal Casino in Montreal, Canada. The bout was scrapped just prior to the weigh-in when Archer, 2-5 (2 KOs), was unable to pass a pre-fight medical. 

Rather than wait for the next EOTTM show and keep Sanford, 26, out of the ring even longer, a team decision was made to place the former amateur standout on the next available event.

“Of course, we would have liked for his debut to take place on one of our shows, and we plan to have him fight on all our upcoming events,” acknowledged EOTTM president Camille Estephan. “But in the meantime, it was a priority for us to keep Wyatt active by finding him a fight as quickly as possible.”

Manriquez fights on the road for the second straight time and fourth overall in his journeyman career. 

All three of his previous fights outside of Argentina ended in defeat. Manriquez hasn’t fought anywhere since October 2023, however, and is just 1-5-1 in his past seven starts dating back to 2019. 

Sanford claimed a bronze medal during the 2024 Paris Olympics. He advanced to the semifinal round of the welterweight bracket and ensured Canada its first boxing medal since heavyweight David Defiagbon took home silver during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

The run in Paris was a marked improvement from Sanford’s appearance in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he was eliminated in the opening round of competition.   

Following last summer’s success, Sanford made the decision to turn pro. He signed with EOTTM in January, only to endure the minor delay earlier this month. 

Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.