SA lightweight and middleweight champions Khaya “Destroyer” Busakwe and John “Section 29” Bopape must be very worried because their thrones are under serious threat from Kaine “K9” Fourie and Donjuan “Iron Dragon” van Heerden.
Gauteng champions Fourie and Van Heerden are both rated No 1 in their respective weight divisions. On Friday evening at the Portuguese Hall, they showed their readiness to accede to the thrones when they dispatched their opponents within their scheduled distances.
Fourie demolished Lancelot Moyo in round three to win the vacant ABU SADC lightweight belt. Ushered to war by accomplished trainer Gert Strydom of No Mercy Gym, he mercilessly dropped Moyo with two well- executed uppercuts to the jaw in round two.
Fourie remains undefeated after seven fights with five knockouts. He earned himself a bonus of R2,000 when his knockout was voted the best KO on the night.
Prior to that fight – the main contest in the Unleashed Combat tournament –Van Heerden crushed Durandt Verwey in two rounds to better his knockout record to five in nine victories. Van Heerden is BSA 2023 prospect of the year award winner.
Earlier in that chilly evening, Jasdel Kayembe and Siphiwe Mbhele had the big crowd eating out of the palms of their hands throughout their clean-fought but punishing six-round fight, which was a topsy-turvy affair.
Kayembe emerged victorious on points. Their gallant performances earned each R4,000 each on top of their purse monies.
In the only female bout of the night, Van Heerden’s stablemate Monica Mkandla, from the MacAusland Gym of manager Colleen MacAusland in Meyerton, won the Zimbabwean battle against home girl Pamela Mutanga over six rounds in the junior featherweight division.
In the final analysis, all fighters gave a good account of themselves. Credit to BSA 2023 matchmaker of the year Abbey Mnisi for putting together the tournament, which is understood to have been the swansong of promoter Shereen Hunter.
She was presented with a big portrait of all the fighters that were trained by her late husband Lionel Hunter, who also fought under her banner.
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