Reigning SA and WBC Africa junior-middleweight champion Brandon “Fast Guns” Thysse says it’s a nice feeling when brothers fight on the same card and win their fights.
He was reacting to the Sunday tournament where the Mason brothers – Abdullah, Ibrahim, and Abdurrahman – competed and won their respective bouts on the exact same card in their hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.
Abdullah retained his WBO lightweight belt by a 12th round stoppage over Albert Bell in the main bout.
Thysse shared the ring with his younger brother, SA light heavyweight champion Bryan “BBK” Thysse, at Emperors Palace in what was the first time in local boxing for siblings to fight on the same card.
Thysse retained his belts against Roarke “Razor” Knapp, while Bryan did the same with his national belt, defeating his cousin, Gerhard Thysse, in a Golden Gloves tournament.
Thysse says he was nervous watching his brother while sitting in the dressing rooms, waiting for his turn.
“I was asking if he [Bryan] will be able to do what he’s learnt from the gym,” said Thysse.
“Boxing is a strange sport – one punch can change everything.
“I watched him in round one, two and three and stopped because I had to get warmed up for my fight.
“It was a nice feeling afterwards, with both of us having won our fights.”
The Thysses are trained by Damien Durandt and Andson Kazembe.
On Sunday, one of Abdullah’s brothers told Abdullah he was down on the judges’ scorecards (even though it was an incredibly close fight) to ensure he stayed locked in.
This prodding caused Abdullah to ramp up the aggression, ultimately landing a massive shot on the temple that led the referee to stop the fight.
That was Abdullah’s 18th KO in 21 wins. The Ring Magazine has ranked 22-year-old Abdullah at No 5 in the world in the lightweight division.
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