Today marks 36 years since the South African boxing community witnessed one of its most explosive and eagerly anticipated heavyweight clashes between Johnny du Plooy and Pierre Coetzer.
Their non-title 10-round bout — which turned out to be an epic battle — was promoted by Rodney Berman’s Golden Gloves at Sun City on August 4 1990.
The action
Though scheduled for 10 rounds, the fight delivered intense drama and lasted less than six brutal minutes across two rounds.
After Du Plooy controlled the first round and cut Coetzer, the latter bounced back in the second round, dropping Du Plooy, who rose only to be put down again by fierce left hooks before referee Stan Christodoulou waved it off.
The accolade
The short but furious war was named the King Korn/Boxing World Fight of the Year for 1990. Du Plooy, touted as “the golden boy” of South African boxing in the late 1980s and early 1990s, died on April 12 2013 aged 48, after suffering from a recurring heart problem.
A South African amateur champion for several years, Du Plooy soon caught the imagination of the boxing public after turning professional.
He tasted defeat in his 18th professional fight, to Mike “Mr Hercules” Weaver, at Rand Stadium on November 28 1987.
Du Plooy avenged that seventh-round stoppage defeat a year later when he knocked out Weaver in the second round at Sun City. After that victory, Du Plooy fought seven times, losing only twice with one draw, before meeting Coetzer.
Coetzer retired in 1993 after being stopped in the eighth round by George Foreman in the US. That defeat was Coetzer’s third in succession after being stopped in the seventh and eighth rounds, respectively, by Riddick Bowe and Frank Bruno.
Coetzer is 64 years old.
Sowetan
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