The sport of boxing in SA is on a positive trajectory with promoters staging wonderful tournaments in some parts of the country almost every fortnight.
Many fighters who have been afforded opportunities have shown their potential and the ability to think. If a boxer has ring smarts and the ability to correctly gauge and judge distance then they have the potential to be successful boxers.
A boxer uses movement to make his opponent miss, and give himself the opportunity to counter. On Thursday night newcomers Don Juan van Heerden, Dillon Solomons, Emille Britz and Athenkosi Plaatjies displayed all these attributes and were impressive.
Van Heerden defeated Solomons over four rounds in the middleweight division. Van Heerden was just a marvel to watch, but credit should go to Solomons, who brought the best out of Van Heerden.
Plaatjies bombed Britz with what looked like devastating body blows in the first three rounds of their junior-middleweight clash. But Britz took all those shots in his stride, like a sponge absorbing water.
Britz came back guns blazing, and bloodied Plaatjies’s nose. He also drove the big fighter around the ring in an attempt to end it within the distance.
In the end it was Plaatjies who triumphed on points over six very tough rounds.
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