Gerrie Coetzee... underrated?

Thomas was certainly coming on strong in the final two rounds. A draw was a reasonable verdict, but I recall actually favoring Coetzee by 5-4-1 in rounds.

 

Yes,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Gerrie Coetzee was positioned as the betting favorite versus John Tate

Las Vegas had Gerrie Coetzee a 9-5 Favorite

Attendance at the Loftus Versfeld Rugby Stadium.........89,000

Approximately another 46,000 spectators showed up, and could not get access
into the sold-out stadium.

It was a 'new' Modern Fight Record

Mostly an all-white crowd, though it was the 'first time' that South Africa permitted an
integrated audience.

Live Gate $3,200,000

Fight Purse;
John Tate..........$400,000
Gerrie Coetzee....$300,000

Both fighters were given an option, either a Percentage of the Live Gate, or a Guaranteed Fight Purse.

Each Fighter took the Guaranteed Purse, though they would have netted more money if they took a % of the gate.

 

The country was starved for international competition. Athletes were banned from participating in pretty much any and all sports, and foreign athletes were heavily frowned upon for coming here.
When a heavyweight title fight is happening in a land pretty much isolated from the rest of the world, you betcha the crowds would come.

If not for the WBA, guys like Coetzee, Mathebula, Mitchell etc. would never have fought for world titles...at least not as South Africans. Nobody would have heard of these guys.

 

Fists,,

I remember the interview with Gerrie Coetzee in Monte Carlo,,,,,,

After he Knocked-out Leon Spinks in 'One Round'

Gerrie was 'very emotional' and visibly upset when describing how he had wanted
to compete at the World Amateurs in August 1974 in Havana, Cuba - and later the 1976 Olympics, but was forced
to turn 'Professional' before he wanted, because of the ban on South Africa in competing at World Amateur Events.

But he was forced to go 'Pro' at age 19 1/2 (September 14, 1974)

Gerrie said he knows he would have won the Gold Medal at the 1976 Olympics, in July at Montreal.

A nice Heavyweight Final--------Teofilio Stevenson vs Gerrie Coetzee (21 Years-old)

 

Where did you get this information? I don't believe it. I remember that fight very, very well. I paid close attention to developments prior to the fight. The tone in the press was that Tate was a little too big and too accomplished for Gerrie.

Again, I want to know where you found the information about the odds.

 

I watched that fight a little whille back, and as you say, Coetzee afterward was really grateful to Spinks for giving him the chance at getting more exposure.
I don't know how he would have done at the Olympics, but to not have the chance to find out must have been hard on him and other boxers, of all colours, from the country.

 

I watched his fight with Weaver a while back, and thought he was just terrible there. Just fine for three rounds, then resorted to pushing the smaller Weaver against the ropes and holding onto the ropes while he gasped for breath, time after time after time. Very tedious.

 

I've been searching the odds issue on google. I can't find any information regarding the Tate-Coetzee betting line. Still, I'm certain that Tate was the Vegas favorite.

Incidentally, Sports Illustrated's Pat Putnam sure had many ignorant things to say about Coetzee. Was Putnam blind?

 

The opening line for that fight was Even (A Pick-em fight),
right after Gerrie Coetzee blasted out Leon Spinks.

As per, THE KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL

The Knoxville, Tennessee Newspaper (John Tate's Hometown)

Also reported, the Fight Purse amounts, and the 'shenanigans' that the WBA and South African Promoters
were trying to pull. The odds then changed to a slight-edge for Gerrie Coetzee, 7-5 as the Favorite.

Once Rodolfo Sanchez (WBA President) got involved in the South African promotion, the Las Vegas
odds switched higher in Gerrie's favor, eventually topping off at 9-5 for Gerrie Coetzee.

By fight time, the odds may have closed a bit.

 

Give me a link. There is no possible way that Coetzee was a favorite going into the bout.

Maybe briefly, three or four months prior (remember, Coetzee KO'd Spinks in June 1979, and the Tate fight was in October), Coetzee was favored, but by fight time, Tate was the betting favorite and experts pick to win.

I am 95% certain of that I am correct. In the meantime, I want to see your link.

 

Agreed. Beating Spinks and beating Stevenson would have been two different things altogether, if we're talking the 1976 Olympics. Coetzee is probably lucky that he missed the 1976 games.

 

coetzee fought a prime Thomas, prime Dokes and prime page back to back and went 1-1-1. coetzee was at least as good as any of the other champs during Holmes's reign.

 

He was in the mainstream of those other men.. Agreed.

There were a few of his "lost" generation that were a tad better, but I agree that he was up there.

 

:good However, If they were a tad better it was only because they fought less title holders. how many 1980s champions did tubbs or dokes face? How would tubbs do back to back against Thomas, Dokes and page?