Sgro ready for round 2

Just chalk fight No. 1 up as a learning experience for Detroit Lakes' Dion Sgro.

There were a few firsts Sgro didn't overcome in his professional boxing debut a little over three months ago, against Travis McCullough.

After losing by a technical knockout in the second round, Sgro will use those shortcomings and learn from his mistakes in his rematch with McCullough, which is part of the "March Middleweight Madness" card Saturday, March 4, inside the Fargo Civic Center starting at 7 p.m.

One factor from which Sgro learned much was the sizable height differences between himself and McCullough. Sgro, who stands at 5-foot-11, had to fight in McCullough's 6-5 shadow.

And it was that 6-5 differential which Sgro never had to contend with before, even during his Golden Glove Boxing days.

"I never even had sparring partners that tall," Sgro said. "My plan now is to move around more, and I learned I can't square up. I will need to have a lot of head movement and make him miss, then counter."

One fatal flaw Sgro fell into in his first bout against McCullough was that each time he landed a blow, Sgro would back away. But with McCullough's long reach, the taller boxer was able to land several hard blows to Sgro's head.

"I just didn't have any experience fighting someone that tall," Sgro said. "When I reeled back, he got me."

Sgro did experience some success in his first pro fight, though. He came out like a ball of energy and had McCullough off-balance with some hard jabs and body blows, but things turned quickly against Sgro when McCullough was able to use his height advantage against him.

The second time around just means Sgro can't make any similar mistakes.

"I'm confident heading in," Sgro said of the upcoming fight. "But being shorter than he is, I just can't make many mistakes. I'm quicker than he is and I learned I can't step back. When he misses, I have to learn when to pick my punches."

Another aspect Sgro learned from was the high energy of the crowd. In Golden Gloves matches, it usually is quiet, with a few whispers of "Good luck" when the boxer is walking to the ring.

But in Sgro's first pro fight, the crowd was electric, with plenty of Detroit Lakes fans. The music was blaring and the audience was cheering loudly, something which shocked Sgro.

"I was just pumped, and when I got in the ring, I was just jumping around," Sgro said of his introduction. "That's not me."

This time, Sgro will be more focused on the task at hand -- pursuing his first professional win, and a little revenge to go with it.