Knapp and Thysse thriller contender for fight of the year
Fight was so close judges had a difficult time deciding the winner
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Determination and big heart – the ABU junior-middleweight boxing contest between newly crowned champion Roarke “Razor” Knapp and Brandon “Fast Guns” Thysse that took place at Emperors Palace on Saturday night had it all.
Though it is still too early in the year to make a noise, one thing is certain, their 12-rounder in the Golden Gloves tournament is a definite contender for BSA’s fight of the year.
One can only hope that the regulator will have annual awards this year. The last awards took place in 2018.
Promoters have kept the fires burning and many fighters have given their best since boxing restarted last year. It will be heartbreaking for promoters, trainers, managers, ring officials and fighters if the regulator does not host the annual awards, the biggest day on the SA boxing calendar. Everything has gone back to normal and that includes the return of the fans.
A mere nomination goes a long way in terms of acknowledging commitment, dedication and hard work. The fight – a rematch between Knapp and Thysse – is one of those bouts that deserve recognition.
They gave their all from start to finish. Thysse shook Knapp in the first round and an average fighter would have gone down but Knapp took that damaging right hand in his stride. That talks to his superb conditioning and credit goes to his trainers Vusi Mtlo and Sechaba Mabuya.
They then exchanged powerful blows vigorously and aggressively with Thysse setting the tone. It was a topsy-turvy affair and to the untrained eye the winner was decided in the last two rounds, which seemed to belong to Thysse.
Judge Mfundo Mvandaba was way off the mark with his score of 116-112 for Knapp. Thabo Spampool scored it 115-113 for Thysse while Ben Ncapayi scored it 115-114 for Knapp. Spampool and Ncapayi cannot be doubted – their scoring reflected the closeness of the fight.
Earlier, Chris Thompson cruised to victory in a fight that degenerated into a one-sided sparring match against Josh Pretorious. The loser’s performance was that of a boxer who had no interest in defending his SA and ABU heavyweight belts – and that’s precisely what happened: Thompson was crowned the new champion.