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LOQUACIOUS trainer Nick Durandt claimed yesterday he had Golden Gloves promoter Rodney Berman reeling on the ropes after flyweight Moruti Mthalane became the third fighter under his guidance to annex an IBF title in recent months after a unanimous victory against Mexico’s Julio Miranda at the Wembley Arena in Johannesburg on Friday night.
Seemingly bosom buddies earlier in the year, Durandt and Berman’s relationship turned sour when Silence Mabuza, frustrated by his lack of action, left Berman’s stable to join rival Branco Milenkovic’s Branco Sports Productions .
Durandt said: “Since then, in an out-and-out vendetta, Berman has been on a campaign to siphon off my most accomplished fighters: Zolani Marali, then Isaac Chilembe, Isaac Hlatshwayo, Cassius Baloyi, Simphiwe Vetyeka and numerous others.
“Boxers are free to go where they please, but this is a concerted campaign .
“More to the point, look at the fighters who have left me. None has been the same since.” – Sapa
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