In watching bits of South African heavyweights in the late 70s through the 90s, most of them seem to be hittable and prone to slugging. The South African heavyweight title fights when you get two of those guys together are brawls. Was this a cultural thing, a consequence of limited resources to hire international trainers, a misperception on my part, or something else?
Frans Botha wasn’t a bad boxer and seemed to differ in style from many of his peers. Corrie Sanders in his earlier days utilized good foot work and decent jab. The rest of them I tend to agree were sluggers and brawlers. Maybe there is some merit to the theory that this was the training style of managers in that region and time. I couldn’t say for sure. It made for some exciting fights though. I loved Pierre Coetzer vs Johnny Duplooy. Short and sweet slugfest
Macho culture with big moustaches = "moer hom hard, boetie!" That plus Friday night at the Protea Hotel in Springs.
Oh yes, the big taches were a thing of wonder. I'm surprised some felt the punches through those big bristles!
I suspect a lack of quality sparring hurt them. And as the majority of top heavies were black, they rightly struggled for the top opposition when needed, only getting mercenaries. The government was obsessed with Rugby Union and Cricket, with millions of rand being thrown at the two sports to keep them at the top, hurting other sports. Dealing wirh them problems for so long, stumped the evolution of the division in the country.
