This was quite a trip down memory lane for me.... https://m.facebook.com/groups/1748704898652756/ Boxing has lost emphasis in modern time but has a rich history in South Africa.... Really enjoy this page.... Probably not for everyone.....
Nice page. Brought back a lot of memories. I remember when Knoetzee Ko'd Bobick. Huge upset. He went on to lose to John Tate and more or less disappeared after that.
You do know there are white people in Africa? Especially South Africa.... The page is mostly heavyweights... Which is dominated by whites.... More so the Afrikaners....They (we) are from Dutch descent and can be quite large... There are pieces with Baby Jake, and Dingaan Thobela....who are not white....
Pierre Coetzer! Didnt anyone tell you you remind them of a Heavyweight version of Tom Selleck aka Magnum, P.I.? Anyways you were one of the great Heavyweights along Gerrie Coetzee, Kallie Knoetzee and Corrie Sanders! Funny story: as a kid in Puerto Rico in the 80s, I hadn't seen much of South African Heavyweights on TV except for two Gerrie Coetzee bouts, against Michael Dokes and Greg Page. So, being that your last names were Coetzer, Coetzee and Knoetzie, I always had you all mixed up! LOL But you gained my respect with all your wins and your great fights with Riddick Bowe and George Foreman, your courage was inspiring and you were certainly one of the great ones! Anyways if we go further from South African Heavyweights and include all African boxing legends, then we must include Brain Mitchell, Dick Tiger, Hogan Bassey, Philip Holiday, David Kotey, Azumah Nelson, Kahlid Ralilou, Ike Quartey, Vuyani Bungu, Thulane Malinga and a few others as well. Some of them are unjustifiably forgotten by the IBHOF. Ike Quartey for example, was a great champion who almost beat De La Hoya in an all time war. And how about Philip Holiday? I met him after he LOST to Hector Camacho Jr., that same night he was there being super-gracious, talking with fans, taking photos and even signing autographs (I got his that night!) AFTER THE FIGHT! Had I lost a fight I dont know if Id been so friendly to people. Maybe a bit but not as much as Holiday was. People also forget that he went 12 rounds with Shane Mosley and starched Jeff Fenech, both of whom are in the IBHOF. I always said it: Africans are the other Mexicans of boxing: they are always there until the very end and are super hard to drop or knock out!
Thanks... Very insightful post and I agree... I also really liked Phillip Holiday but was a bit of a wasted talent... Allegedly had a bit of an alcahol issue
