Deon Potgieter Boxing
There is a two out of three chance that Lennox Lewis will be defending his “Universal” heavyweight world title against a South African later this year. Corrie Sanders, Francois Botha and David Tua have been named as three possible opponents for Lewis, if he successfully defends his title against Michael Grant in April.
For Sanders to stay in contention and increase his odds of meeting Lewis, a fight he’s been after for four years, he needs to impress in his bout scheduled for February 19 at Carnival City. Sanders will be making the third defence of his World Boxing Union (WBU) heavyweight world title against Al “Ice” Cole. Cole, a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) cruiser-weight world champion, who relinquished his title to campaign in the heavyweight division, has already been in the ring with the likes of former world heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon and also went 10 rounds with Grant himself. Like Sanders, Cole is a big man and also boxes from the outside. He boasts a record of 31 wins with three losses and 15 knockouts. The big-hitting Sanders has 25 knockouts to his name, in 35 wins and one loss.
“I hear that he’s a very strong fighter,” says Sanders, “but I’m highly motivated and looking to score a good win. A knockout is a bonus if it happens.”
Sanders holds the world record for the fastest knockout in heavyweight boxing history, having dispatched of the durable Spaniard Jorge Valdes in 28 seconds last year. Prior to that he knocked out former three-time world champion Bobby Czyz in two rounds.
“Sanders is very fast,” said Czyz after the bout. “I think he could go in there against the best of them; [Evander] Holyfield, Lewis and even [Mike] Tyson. The fella [Sanders] is surprisingly quick and he punches hard with either hand.”
“Tyson isn’t what he was anymore,” says Sanders. “His fight with [Julius] Francis last week was a joke. I could beat him [Tyson].”
Lewis in the meantime is facing the possibility of being stripped of his World Boxing Association (WBA) crown for refusing outright to defend against their number one contender, Henry Akinwade. Tua, the IBF’s top contender, is also suing for the right to fight Lewis ahead of Grant.
With the heavyweight ranks falling into more and more disarray, the time is ripe for a man to step forward and to convincingly clean up the division. Perhaps that man is Corrie Sanders.
n The proposed first bout between two women in South Africa, which was scheduled for February 19 at Carnival City, has been cancelled due to the boxing commision dragging its heels in getting legislation changed. It is currently illegal for women to box in South Africa.
The law is now scheduled to change in April, after which the Golden Gloves promoters intend staging the first women’s bout, featuring boxing legend Roberto Duran’s daughter’s pro debut. She has signed on with Golden Gloves as her promoter.