Gerrie Coetzee... underrated?

There's even less info on his contemporary heavyweight contender, Kallie Knoetze. The anti-white USSA media always called him Kallie Knoetze White Policeman Who Killed A Black Child, as if that was his full name. Kenmore - According to Coetzee's website he's still living in (what's left of) the RSA and he's selling dental products.

 

It's well known that Coetzee was living in California in the 1990s. I'd be very surprised if he moved back to SA, especially after marrying an American woman.

The website information may be outdated, or slanted for business reasons (to help him sell dental equipment in his homeland).

 

Gerrie Coetzee

September 15, 2007
Cape Town, South Africa

Gerrie (Age 52)

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Gerrie Coetzee,,,,,,, Part '2'

His only bout, in Part '2',,,,,

June 24, 1979

A 12-Round WBA Eliminator bout,,,in Monte Carlo, Monaco

WBA Ratings
#1 - Kallie Knoetzee
#2 - Earnie Sahvers
#3 - John Tate
#4 - Leon Spinks
#5 - Gerrie Coetzee

Leon Spinks is a 3-1 Betting Favorite

NBC-TV (Televised)
Boxing Announcers; Dick Enberg and Ken Norton

Pre-Fight Analysis;

Dick Enberg;,,,, Leon Spinks has not fought in almost a year {9-months to be exact, versus Muhammad Ali in September 1978} and his timing will most likely be off tonight. And, can he take the right hand from a bigger man.
Gerrie Coetzee has 'great quickness' and he can take a punch. He has '3' wins over countryman Kallie Knoetzee,
'2' as an Amateur and both by Knock-out, and '1' in the Professional-ranks by Decision.

Ken Norton;,,,, Leon Spinks fights with 'wild abandonment', and he will be the aggressor. Spinks punches
harder than Gerrie. Leon likes to force the action. He has that drive, and is young. Leon is strong for his size.
Coetzee must move and box quite a bit. Though Coetzee is 221 lbs., I don't think he punches that hard.
Gerrie is stationary in there, and can be hit. Also, Coetzee has not been busy himself, with only 1-fight 7-months ago
{in December 1978, and only 2-fights in 14-months}.

26 year-old, Leon Spinks 7-1-1 (5 KO's), at 6' 1" and 198 lbs., has been training for 6-weeks in Monte Carlo, and learning to box from the out-side with new trainer Henry Crooms, in preparation for his up-coming bout with Gerrie Coetzee 21-0-0 (12 KO's), a 24 year-old South African, with a boxer-puncher style, to compliment his 6' 2" frame, and 221 lb. weight.

When the bell rings for 'Round 1', Spinks disregards his corner's advice, and 'wildy attacks' like a 'crazed bull'.
Gerrie Coetzee was somehwat 'bewildered' by the opening assault, and backs-up to a neutral-zone.

After backing Coetzee up with a wild flurry, Coetzee re-positions himself, and lands a seemingly average right hand to the left side of Leon Spinks head, just behind the ear. Leon crashes to the canvas, and is in serious trouble upon rising. It was the beginning of the end for the Former Champion, as he was out-weighed by 23 lbs., and to a man with a 'Bionic Right-Hand'.

Two Knockdowns later, and the bout was halted at 2:03 of the 'First-Round. The 2100 fans in attendance were stunned
at the quickness in which Coetzee exhibited 'super power' from his 'Bionic Right Hand'.

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When I first went there, I was wondering what the heck that dental tab was doing there.

 

That's 'ol Gerrie alright. :good

 

Fists,,,,,,,,,,,,

Is it me,,,,,,,,,,,,or does Gerrie now have 'Girly-Man Arms',,,,

My forearms are bigger than his biceps.

 

I noticed the very same thing Pepe...Gerrie's what? 58? My old man (66) has bigger arms...and he's smaller than Gerrie. Bit wierd, eh?

Actually, his whole body seems shrunken to me. Hope he's in good health...

 

Fists,,,,,,,

Do you think Gerrie was 'On-the-Juice' back then,,,,,,,,,

He did have 'Superman Power'

This looks like a photo from 1995 or thereabouts. (Age 40)

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I really haven't thought about it, to be honest. I hope not. Maybe during his comeback, maybe.
I don't really see him doing it in the 70's and 80's, but you never can tell these days.

(Nice pic.)

 

I think he sits right where he belongs perception wise. I don't see him as being underrated nor overrated. His acheivements were admirable, but don't stand out among anything that many of his peers did.

 

Mr. Magoo,,,,,,,,,,,,

Very Correct Sir,,,,,,,,,,,

Gerrie's 'First Round' Knock-Out of Leon Spinks,,,,,,,,,,in June 1979.

Very overrated - as Leon was not really focused,,,,,,besides being out-weighed by
20+ pounds.

And in Gerrie's 'two' previous bouts, he went 20-Rounds with 'Class B Level Fighters',
without scoring a knockdown, much less hurting his opponent.

During that bout in Monte Carlo,,,,,,,Henry Crooms (Leon's new trainer) just buried his head
in his hands when Leon went 'wild-crazy' like an 'out-of'-control-bull' in the First Round.

When Leon went 'all-out' at the beginning of the fight, Henry Crooms screamed from the corner,
'Jab and move Leon, jab and move - back-off for Christ's sake - don't stay in front of him'.

Leon was a 'sitting bull' for the 'sharp punching' Coetzee.

Henry Crooms had spent 6-weeks in Monte Carlo, prepping Leon to box-and-move,
so he would have an advantage with his quickness over the 'plodding and stationary'
South African.

It was a 'very good win' for Coetzee --- but not 'great', which many think it was.

 

I have no problem with Coetzee or his career track. I just don't think he's underrated. Or overrated for that matter. He had a good record. Looked good on film for some of his better fights. Beat some halfway decent opponents. He won a fragment of the title, which was nice. But his only shining moment was dethroning a single alphabet holder, which about 10 other men of his same era did, so I don't think that warrants calling him underrated.

 

Part '3' of his career

October 1979 thru October 1980 (Age; 24 1/2 to 25 1/2)

'3' Bouts; 1-2-0 (1 KO)

* 10/20/79 ---(L Dec 15),,#1 John Tate (For vacant-WBA Heavyweight Championship)
* 4/9/80------(KO 1),,,,,,, #9 Mike Koranicki
* 10/25/80----(L KO 13),,,,* Mike Weaver (WBA Heavyweight Championship)

This could be considered a 'major disappointment by a large degree'

As Gerrie Coetzee was a 'solid favorite' in both WBA Heavyweight Championship Bouts.

* And all bouts were held in his home-country of South Africa.
* Attendance in bout versus John Tate (Pretoria) -- 86,000
* Attendance in bout verus Mike Koranicki (Johannesburg) -- 15,000
* Attendance in bout versus Mike Weaver (Bophuthatswana 'Sun City')-- 18,000

 

Those are pretty big crowds for a fight not involving boxing superstars. Coetzee was certainly a big draw in his home country.

As for the odds, I'm pretty certain that Tate was favored over Coetzee in 1979. I remember all of the boxing magazines predicting a Tate victory. It is completely wrong that Coetzee was a "solid favorite." If anything, the question was the degree to which Tate was favored.

But it's true that Coetzee may have been favored over Weaver. Weaver was only 6'1" tall, and yielded height and reach advantages to Coetzee. Coetzee was also a superior open ring fighter, to say nothing about his well known powerful right. Either way -- whoever was really favored -- the odds for this one were close.