show again Deon Potgieter boxing Cassius Baloyi might be softly spoken but he’s no longer the “shy guy” of his nickname. He provided the most scintillating action in the last triple- world-title bill held at Carnival City in May and intends stealing the show again on Friday, September 1. Although his opponent this time round does not have as distinguished a pedigree as Hector Lizarraga, who Baloyi stopped in one round and knocked into retirement in his last outing, he is a dangerous puncher. Baloyi defends his World Boxing Union (WBU) featherweight crown against Mexican Baudilio Hernandez. Hernandez is known for taking the fight to his opponents and has scored 18 knockouts in 23 wins, with five losses and a draw. “He can come out swinging,” says a confident Baloyi. “Lizarraga thought he could come straight at me and look what I did to him.” Since teaming up with trainer Brian Mitchell, Baloyi has vastly improved his skills and punching power. If there was an award for the most-improved boxer in South Africa, I would give it to Baloyi. He showed tremendous skill under immense pressure from Lizarraga in May. Younger fighters – and, indeed, some of the older ones – could learn from him. Also a former WBU junior-featherweight world champion, Baloyi is undefeated in 23 outings, with 12 knockouts to his credit. This will be his 10th world title bout and although the WBU has afforded him the opportunity to grow as a champion, the time is ripe for him to take on the best in the division. There are plans afoot to match him against World Boxing Association featherweight champion Freddie Norwood. Another South African fighter, Mbulelo Botile, challenges International Boxing Federa-tion (IBF) world champion Paul Ingle on September 30. If he’s succesful, Golden Gloves, promoters of both Baloyi and Botile, have said they would be interested in pitting the two South Africans against each other for the IBF title. To stay in contention for a possible match for one of the bigger sanctioning bodies’ world titles, Baloyi has to keep winning. A fighter like Hernandez is always dangerous, because he can punch and isn’t afraid to mix it. Baloyi should win on a knockout, but if he gets careless, he could also be the one to end up on the canvas. The other world title up for grabs on Friday night is that of WBU cruiserweight world champion Sebastian Rothman, who laboured to a 12-round decision against a fighter of limited skills in his last outing and needs to post an impressive win this time round. He defends his title against the toughest and most experienced fighter he has faced to date in Britain’s Kelly Oliver. Oliver has posted 12 knockouts in 18 wins with a solitary loss and is regarded as one of the most exciting fighters in the division. “It’s Rothman time,” says the champion. “You’re going to see a more aggressive and bigger-punching Rothman out there. It’s time for me to show people what I’m made of and to do that I have to start facing tougher opposition.” Rothman, who got married soon after his last bout, appears more confident and determined to put up a powerful display. He has scored seven knockouts in 10 wins, with a loss and two draws.
Known for his punching power, Oliver is the bookies’ favourite to win by knockout. Although Rothman tends to take more punches than he should, he has tremendous heart and I can’t see him lying down easily. Rothman is also the type of fighter who performs well under pressure and possesses good boxing skills. If Oliver does try to finish him off early, chances are Rothman will stop him. It should be a very intriguing contest and a good test to see what sort of future lies ahead for the likeable man from Pretoria. Before all the world title action starts, Jacob Mofokeng challenges Anton Nel for the national heavyweight title. Both fighters look the fittest I’ve seen them in a long time and both are psyched for a victory. It’s always great to see two big men going at each other and this one should be a cracker.
The opening fight features one of the most exciting punchers currently active in South Africa, Philip Ndou, who has scored a phenomenal 19 knockouts in 19 wins with one loss. Negotiations are in the pipeline to secure him a match against Vuyani Bungu’s conqueror, World Boxing Organisation world champion Naseem Hamed. In Hamed style, Ndou will be making a “special” entrance to the ring on Friday night. “It will be quite a spectacle so those coming to the fights better get to their seats early,” says Nic Durandt, Ndou’s trainer-manager. Ndou will be facing a man who has earned the moniker of “the immovable object”. Ghanaian-born Russell Jones, who now operates out of the United States, has not been stopped throughout his amateur and professional ring career. He has posted five knockouts in 14 wins with four losses and has been in the ring with the likes of world junior-lightweight champion Joel Casemayour and Tracy Patterson. US boxing historian George Blake has described Jones as “a tough-as-teak fighter with incredible willpower, a tenacious style, and the heart of a lion.” Ndou’s punches have been described as “atomic bombs”, but will they have enough power to stop Jones? If Ndou has any hope of meeting Hamed in the future, they had better.