These guys have no business being in the ring
FORMER undisputed heavyweight world champion Lennox Lewis warned that the ring is a drug that never stops calling your name until it has taken everything it can from you. Those words ring sadly true for too many boxerswho have hung on too long when they no longer had what it takes.
The following five men have not heeded Lewis’s words. They have become a danger to themselves, and are therefore urged to retire immediately.
Boxing SA should actually do itself a big favour by sending them for MRI scans, which can diagnose most ailments of the brain, including tumours and dementia. That is because they have taken too many punches. Anton ’Rolling Thunder’ Nel: The reigning South African heavyweight champion tops the Sunday Times list.
At 47, Nel weighed 120.95kg for the second defence against former mixed martial arts fighter Donovan Luff last month.
His blood pressure was so high ring physicians had to check it twice before allowing him to roll into the ring. He stopped Luff in the second round.
A medical practitioner said this week a blow to the head or even a fall on his head could have led to bleeding inside the brain, and that could lead to paralysis or even death. Johannes Pieterson: He suffered a grotesque knockout defeat against Bongani Mlotshwa in August last year — he fell head-first before his stiff body bounced off the canvas.
Ring physicians and paramedics worked on the middleweight and finally he got up.
He was suspended for three months, but it should have been permanent. He returned last month and suffered another stoppage defeat. He has had one win in his last 15 bouts, dating back to late 2004. A doctor said the unsteadiness was caused by severe punishment to the head. Daniel Bruwer: This former SA light-heavyweight champion, once tipped to become a world champion, has always blocked punches with his face.
But he used to get away with it when he was in superb condition, like the night he stopped Anthony van Niekerk in the final round back in 2008.
Last year Bruwer was warned to keep his hands up against knockout artist Aleksandr Usyk because he was taking shots to the head without even attempting to block them. Bravely or stupidly he ignored the warning and was knocked down flat.
Mfundo Gwayana: The little southpaw from the Eastern Cape was a handy fighter who won the SA junior-flyweight title in 2007 at his third attempt. His career has always resembled a yo-yo — he lost two of his first three fights — but these days he’s more of a yho! He has become a stepping stone for upand-coming fighters. Flo Simba: Once hailed as the future of local heavyweight boxing, chiselled Simba has spent much time in recent fights getting up close and personal with the canvas.
His bubble burst when he was stopped by over-the-hill veteran Frans Botha in 2011 on a sixthround stoppage. In his last six bouts he’s had two wins (including a points victory over Daniel Bruwer — big deal) and four technical knockout losses, every one in the first round.