Bridgerweight a blessing for South Africa’s smaller heavyweight boxers

The World Boxing Council's (WBC) newly-established bridgerweight division, its 18th weight class, has come as a blessing to South African fighters, especially those who have been campaigning in the heavyweight division.

Established by WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán in 2020, the division sits between the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions.

It caters for small heavyweight fighters, with a weight limit of 106kg. Former IBO cruiserweight champion Kevin Lerena rules the division with an iron fist after his stunning defeat of Ukrainian Serhiy Radchenko in Pretoria on Thursday.

South African heavyweight champion Shaun Potgieter and former national heavyweight champions Chris Thompson and Keaton Gomes are also rated in that weight class.

Gomes won his debut match in the division in the WBC Grand Prix Series in Saudi Arabia last month.

Former Gauteng and WBA Pan African cruiserweight champ Akani Phuzi won his first fight in that weight class last weekend. His trainer/manager, Damien Durandt, said: “The plan is to campaign at international level.”

South Africa has always struggled to produce fully-fledged heavyweight boxers, except for Gerrie Coetzee, whose weight was about 115kg.

Coetzee’s size made it possible for him to stand and trade blows with the likes of John Tate, Mike Weaver, Greg Page, Michael Dokes and Frank Bruno, though most of these stopped him within scheduled distances.

Corrie Sanders was a small heavyweight at 109kg. He defeated fringe opponents en route to winning the WBU belt, which he defended successfully three times against average opponents.

The moment he met a credible, fully-fledged heavyweight contender in Hasim Rahman, who weighed 129kg, Sanders’ size was exposed.

He just could not hurt the American, who stopped him in round seven in 2000. 

Sanders’ hand speed was his best weapon, and it helped him win the WBO title in 2003 via a second-round stoppage of Wladimir Klitschko.

Sanders’ reign was short-lived. Kitschko’s brother, Vitali Klitschko, stopped him in eight rounds the next year.

Pierre Coetzer was similar to Sanders in track record.

Coetzer reigned supreme as the national heavyweight champ. However he was knocked out in round one by American Bernard Benton, a full-blown former WBC and The Ring cruiserweight champion, who made his debut in the heavyweight division against Coetzer at Standard Bank Arena on September 28 1987.

Coetzer made the biggest mistake of his life in facing George Foreman, who severely punished him, ultimately winning by a technical knockout in the eighth round. Foreman dominated the fight with his powerful punches, knocking Coetzer down twice and causing significant damage. The referee stopped the fight after the second knock-down.

Francois Botha, who weighed 118kg, was not deterred by his smallness. He mixed it with the likes of Axel Schultz, Mike Tyson, Shannon Briggs, Lennox Lewis and Michael Grant in his illustrious career, which saw him win the IBF and WBF belts.

Sanders and Coetzer, on reflection, would have done well in the bridgerweight division.

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