Deon Potgieter Boxing
A month before the Springbok rugby team are due to defend their world title in Wales, Sebastian Rothman will be seeking a world title of his own. Rothman, the current national junior heavyweight champion, takes on the World Boxing Union (WBU) cruiser-weight kingpin, Robert Norton, on Friday night, in the land of the dragons and trolls.
Rothman skyrocketed to prominence in May this year when he won the national title by stopping Earl Morais in the 10th round, one of the best and most brutal bouts seen in this division for many years. He followed this up with an impressive victory in the United Kingdom shortly afterwards and now, with only 11 professional fights under his belt, feels ready to take on the best the world has to offer.
“I think it’s all about a state of mind,” says Rothman. “I feel mature and ready to win a world title. I may not have fought as many guys as Norton has, but most of his early opponents were of a low calibre, so his larger experience won’t really make a difference.”
In order to prepare Rothman for the fight, trainer Harold Volbrecht has had him sparring with WBU heavyweight champion Corrie Sanders, who impersonated Norton’s awkward southpaw style. A significant difference, however, is that Sanders punches a lot harder than Norton.
“I don’t think Norton has much power,” says Rothman. “I’m prepared to keep the work rate up though and to go the distance, but of course I’d love to end the fight early with a knockout. I want to come back with the belt, not a black eye.”
Norton, who won the WBU cruiser-weight title earlier this year by out-pointing South African and current national heavyweight champ Jacob Mofokeng, has a deceptive style and could frustrate his younger challenger.
“I don’t think so,” says Rothman. “I won’t be overeager, but I’ll take the fight to him. I won’t let him do to me what he did to Mofokeng. I’ll make him fight.”
“Our man [Rothman] has the tools to bust him [Norton] up in a sensational fashion,” says Rodney Berman of Golden Fists, which is promoting the fight. “This kid [Rothman] has so much natural talent, I see him becoming one of our biggest box-office draws. He’s a blood and guts fighter and that’s what people want to see.”
Before Norton won Mofokeng’s title, he was matched to challenge Juan Carlos Gomez for the World Boxing Council (WBC) world title in December last year. However, Norton had to withdraw from the bout after contracting flu. He then got his shot at Mofokeng, who besides holding the WBU title is also the number one contender for the WBC title.
“Norton took the title from Mofokeng,” says Rothman. “Now I want to bring it back to South Africa.”
On the Norton/Rothman under-card, former International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight champion Mbulele Botile will be making a comeback to the professional ring, after an absence of more than a year.
Botile, who only lost one out of 25 fights as a pro and that one being a world title fight, has been given a top 10 ranking by the IBF as a featherweight and hopes to rise right back to the top of his game. His opponent on Friday is fast-punching Willy “Billy the Kid” Perdomo from the Dominican Republic.
In other boxing news, Lehlo “Hands of Stone” Ledwaba makes the first defence of his IBF junior featherweight world title on Saturday night in San Diego. Ledwaba was to have defended his title last month at the Carousel, but the fight fell through when his opponent Adrian Kaspari withdrew from the bout for medical reasons.
An added bonus is that the American cable television network Home Box Office will be screening Ledwaba’s defence against Edison Enrique Valencia.
“There’s a good chance that the American television giant will be signing an exclusive deal with Ledwaba,” says Berman. “Their top man, Lou di Belle, will be at ringside. He only makes a point of attending a bout if he’s really interested in a fighter.”
An impressive showing by Ledwaba could secure him a number of big pay-day fights in the United States. An advantage he has above his predecessor, Vuyani Bungu, who struggled to catch on in the US, is that Ledwaba also has a big punch. Knockouts make good television.
ENDS
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