The Star Early Edition

Berman back SA boxing stars to shine bright

- No South Africans are in the mix, although Rodney Berman believes that one of the unintended consequenc­es of the tournament will be opportunit­ies for world class fighters Kevin Lerena and Thabiso Mchunu. Although Berman harbours doubts about the viabilit

THE World Boxing Super Series for cruiserwei­ghts is fast gaining traction with top fighters vying for their share of the $50 million (about R650m) prize pot.

Confirmed participan­ts include three world champions and one former champion, all vying for the Muhammad Ali Trophy. They are IBF champion Murat Gassiev of Russia, WBC belt holder Mairis Briedis of Latvia, WBA Interim champion Cuban Yunier Dorticos and former IBF and WBC champion Krzysztof Włodarczyk of Poland. Others are still to be confirmed. and Mchunu will be kept busy, hopefully winning, and they’ll leapfrog in the rankings and boost their profiles.”

To this end, he is planning a cruiserwei­ght blockbuste­r for October 21 featuring both South Africans; a move reminiscen­t of heavyweigh­ts Gerrie Coetzee and Kallie Knoetze building their internatio­nal reputation­s three decades ago.

This is contingent mainly on Lerena beating Max Maslov for the IBO title in August, no sure thing given that Maslov is as rugged as they come. Berman will, of

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