KNOCKOUT

Photos: N-SQUARED By: Herman Gibbs

Rodney Berman is renowned for staging mega boxing fights and has delivered once again.

ONLY a brave man would take the chance of pitting two explosive boxers in the same ring for his next blockbuster double-header bill in Johannesburg in early June.

Rodney Berman is that man – one of the most knowledgeable and astute boxing promoters – not only in South Africa, but in the whole of Africa.

Berman recently announced the second Golden Gloves tournament of the year, pitting knockout “kids” Roarke Knapp against Brandon Thysse for the African Boxing Union (ABU) super-welterweight crown and a 12-round heavyweight bout between newly-crowned SA and ABU champion Joshua Pretorius and Chris Thompson.

Thysse and Knapp are power punches of note, and going by their records this 12-round encounter for the ABU super-welterweight crown held by Knapp will not go the distance.

“The match-up for the ABU super-welterweight title is an explosive one,” Berman said. “I don’t think we could have got a better pair of super-welterweights to fight each other on this double-header bill.

“They fought once before and it proved to be a cracker-jack affair. It ended in a TKO in favour of Thysse. Now it’s time for redemption.”

Thysse’s record is 17 fights, 14 wins, one draw and two losses (one on a knockout and another on a split decision).

Knapp is just as impressive in his professional career, after never having an amateur background.

He has 11 knockouts in his 13 wins, a loss via knockout and a draw in his 15 fights.

Meanwhile, Pretorius makes his first defence against a fighter who beat him on points over four rounds in May 2017 at Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom.

Thompson has had 14 fights, 11 wins (7 KOs), two losses and a draw. It will be the first time that he will be fighting for a heavyweight title. Berman staged a successful “heavyweight mania” at Emperors Palace where he matched a former cruiserweight, SA’s Kevin Lerena, against Romanian Bogdan Dinu in a heavyweight contest and came out smiling. Lerena destroyed Dinu, a veteran in the heavyweight division, in four rounds and is now the WBA inter-continental champion.

Rodney Berman organised Lennox Lewis to come over and fight in South Africa.

How does Berman manage to stage so many successful tournaments?

“It's a tough balancing act,” Berman said. “When we bring out international boxers we speak to our agents overseas and we get the low-down on the fighters before signing contracts.

“We assess every aspect of the fighter’s ability, record, style and who he has fought over the years. A successful promoter must have a good match-maker and we have one in Jeff Ellis, who has been in the game a long time.”

IBO cruiserweight champion Kevin Lerena recently in action.