Las Vegas-based super middleweight Shea Arender, who turns professional in 2024 at the age of 45, told World Boxing News that his decision to enter boxing later than most was not impulsive – it was calculated.
Arender made his debut in May 2024, losing in the first round in Tijuana. For many, this would be the natural end of the experiment. For Arender, this was the starting point.
“I turned professional later in life and instead of waiting for the perfect moment, I took up the challenge,” Arender told WBN. “My approach has always been carefully assessed and strategically planned.”
Since that loss, Arender has recorded four straight victories – all within the distance – while competing in the super middleweight division.
Mayweather Boxing Club
Arender trains in Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas under the supervision of experienced coach Luis Tapia. The gym is known for producing champions rather than budding professionals over 40, which makes his presence there noteworthy.
Arender has fought in five professional bouts at 148-168 pounds and has secured four stoppage victories in nine rounds since turning pro. His record is 4-1, with each victory coming by knockout or technical knockout.
He doesn’t see the movement as something recent or nostalgic.
“This is what I call the Total Life Champion philosophy,” he explained. “It’s about discipline, focus and applying the same standards to every area of your life.”
For Arender, boxing is not separate from business and music. It works within the same structure.
Tommy Morrison documentary
Outside the ring, Arender works at the highest levels of the entertainment industry. He serves as general manager of the Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra and is involved in an official documentary project scheduled to premiere in slow 2026 or early 2027.
His relationship with Morrison predates the film. Before the former heavyweight’s death, Arender was considering collaborating on a boxing-based television concept titled .
The project never moved forward, but the relationship endured. This continuity ultimately led to his role in scoring the documentary.
“Being involved in the Tommy Morrison documentary allows me to combine music and boxing in a way that captures the emotion and intensity of the sport,” Arender said.
Few busy fighters occupy both spaces simultaneously – competing professionally while helping to preserve boxing history through film.
Boxing as a defined chapter
Arender signed a contract with American Boxing Promotions and competes in Las Vegas.
She doesn’t present her career as symbolic, it’s more intentional.
“I took calculated risks and applied relentless determination,” Arender told WBN. “Age does not eliminate opportunity if there is preparation.”
With five professional competitions completed between May 2024 and July 2025, Arender’s boxing career remains in its early stages. At the same time, his involvement in a documentary focusing on one of boxing’s most recognizable figures puts him in an unusual place – busy in the present while contributing to the sport’s historic record.
For Arender, both actions are guided by the same principle: preparation, structure and long-term planning, not impulse.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
However, ‘AJ’ instead maintained that he would prefer a warm-up fight first, with the Londoner expected to return to action in July, ahead of a long-awaited meeting with his arch-rival in November.
I’m talking to talkSPORT BoxingHamed was looking forward to this match and suggested that a draw could be on the cards.
“Who do I think will win the fight between AJ and Fury? Well, that is the question and everyone wants to know.
“Years ago, Tyson had this awkward style for me where he could make AJ look stupid, that’s true. Now everything has changed. Tyson seemed to have backed off a little bit.
“But with Tyson Fury you never know, maybe one night he’ll show up and box amazingly and do what he did to Wilder. Those first few rounds [against Makhmudov]I was a little disappointed that he didn’t go from the start.
“This is going to sound crazy to you, but would it be unbelievable if I said it could be a draw?”
It is unclear whether Fury will also fight in the summer or whether he will avoid risking a lucrative romance with Joshua and wait patiently on the sidelines.
Ben Whittaker’s next few months are already taking shape following his quick knockout victory in Liverpool, and Adam Smith outlines a busy summer schedule that should finally see the delicate heavyweight fighter face stronger tests
Smith said Whittaker is expected to return to the United States in overdue June on the Jaron “Boots” Ennis card, then return to the UK in the summer for a major date in his hometown of Birmingham.
Whittaker stopped Brian Suarez in two rounds last weekend and performed brilliantly throughout, adding another early finish to the stretch that helped rebuild attention around him after his first fight with Liam Cameron ended in a draw.
Smith said the June outing would support expose Whittaker to a wider audience ahead of a bigger national night later in the year.
“He will fight at the end of June in America at the Boots Ennis gala. That’s good. Show him to a global audience. Then he will come back here in overdue summer, maybe early September and fight in Birmingham in a huge fight,” Adam Smith said in an interview with Sport Boxing.
Smith also named British opponents who could be next, naming Lyndon Arthur, Brad Rea and Craig Richards as possible options once Whittaker returns home.
Smith believes that in the long term, bigger domestic fights with Joshua Buatsi and Anthony Yard should come within the next year if Whittaker continues to win.
“Buatsis and Yards need to be delivered within the next 6-12 months.”
Whittaker has had a lot of notoriety since turning pro, but the activity and matchmaking are looking more grave now. The next two fights should tell more than the first ten.
Tomek Galm is a boxing journalist covering the global fight landscape since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, industry trends and fighter psychology.
Six-division world champion and Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya hasn’t fought since 2008, but revealed he would be willing to return for one fighter.
De La Hoya is a newfangled pound-for-pound legend, being one of only two six-division champions in the history of the sport – joined by Filipino fan favorite Manny Pacquiao, who has reached eighth in this ultra-elite club.
While De La Hoya has moved on to promote the sport, “Pac Man” recently returned to the pro ranks, challenging Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight world title last July in an attempt to break his own record as boxing’s oldest 147-pound ruler.
Pacquiao could only get a draw in that fight, but now he’s ready for an even bigger fight – at least financially – after signing a contract for a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, who defeated him in 2015 in the “Fight of the Century.”
If that fight takes place in September, Mayweather will come out on top again, De La Hoya said Fighting the noise that he would also be willing to have a rematch with Mayweather.
“I am a fighter. I will always be a fighter. If Mayweather beats Pacquiao, Floyd, you owe me a rematch! Let’s go!”
Mayweather defeated De La Hoya by split decision to win the WBC super lightweight title in 2007, and De La Hoya still maintains he deserved to win the fight.
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