Thomas “Tommy Gun” Oosthuizen could challenge World Boxing Council (WBC) cruiserweight champion Badou Jack sooner than he and his wife, promoter Janie Hebler, had imagined when she took it upon herself to guide his illustrious career last year.
In no time the talented left-handed boxer from Boksburg publicly declared that he would follow in the footsteps of two former WBC super middleweight world champions Thulani Malinga and Dingaan Thobela by dethroning Ilunga Makabu as the WBC cruiserweight champion.
The fight fraternity dismissed him as a day-dreamer. But that eagerness is fast becoming a reality following his victory on Sunday for the African Boxing Union, which is affiliated to the WBC.
Representative of that Mexico-based boxing body Peter Ngatane told Sowetan yesterday that Oosthuizen’s win guarantees him a top rating by the WBC.
“Depending on where the WBC ratings committee puts him, Tommy must make sure that he is consistent in winning fights for his rating to improve,” said Ngatane, who supervised the fight on Sunday.
WBC champion Badou Jack, who dethroned Makabu with a 12th round knockout in Dubai last month, has to choose his opponent for his voluntary defence from the top 15 contenders.
“Hopefully the ratings committee will give Tommy a top-15 rating so that the chances of him challenging for the WBC belt becomes a reality because Jack can choose any opponent in the top-15 rating should he be allowed to do voluntary defence,” said Ngatane.
The WBC has ordered Thabiso Mchunu and Sergey Kovalev, who are rated second and fourth respectively, to meet in an elimination fight next month.
Mchunu’s trainer, Sean Smith, said they were negotiating with the management of Oleksandr Usyk, which also manages Kovalev, to include the elimination fight in Kovalev’s fight against Tyson Fury at Wembley Stadium in London on April 29.
Usky, who is Kovalev’s homeboy from Ukraine, will defend his WBA Super, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight belts against WBC holder Fury next month.
The winner between Mchunu and Kovalev could go straight into the world championship fight against Jack.
Ngatane said: “Usually there is a condition in such fights, for example, an obligation which says the winner between Jack and Makabu must go straight into a mandatory defence. In that regard, it will be between Mchunu and Kovalev.
“I must still check that but what is important now is for Oosthuizen’s management to discuss with the Floyd Mayweather Junior outfit, which manages Jack, to see if they can’t reach an agreement in case Jack must do a voluntary defence.
“Other than that, Thomas must just keep winning his fights for his rating to improve.”
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