Berman pleased with talent show
EXCITING CARD: STARS OF THE FUTURE GO ON DISPLAY
Kevin Lerena puts his title on the line against Artur Mann.
The “No Mercy” tournament scheduled for Emperors Palace next Saturday could have easily been dubbed the “Next Generation”, judging by the number of young bloods on the bill.
The boxing extravaganza will be topped by the eagerly-anticipated return of one of only two cruiserweight world champions, Kevin Lerena, who’ll be defending his IBO crown against dangerous Kazakhstan-born German Artur Mann.
However it will be the action before the main bout that will reflect the bright future of South African boxing when a host of young fighters take to the stage. No fewer than four prospects are on the card in what promoter Rodney Berman describes as the heralding of a new dawn.
“I have always insisted that the future of boxing in this country is bright despite all the negative talk,” Berman said.
“This show will provide a platform to this county’s young boxers to showcase their talent. As someone who is passionate about development it thrills me when there is such an abundance of emerging talent.”
Jostling for the spotlight will be Michael Markram, Roarke Knapp, mixed martial artist-turned boxing prospect Boyd Allen and Keaton Gomes.
With the show beamed live on SuperSport throughout the African continent the youngsters could not have asked for a better spotlight to sell themselves. But they are matched tough, as it is the norm by Golden Gloves Promotions (GGP), in their endeavours to provide evenly matched quality bouts.
For instance, Allen’s opponent John Bopape, a veteran of 11 bouts, has already thrown down the gauntlet, predicting a shock of the night in their WBA Pan African junior middleweight title clash.
While he has a patchy record, Bopape will represent the step up in class for the two-fight novice who is still learning the ropes in boxing.
Markram will also not have it easy against once-beaten Frank Rodriguez in their Gauteng light heavyweight title clash. With just three wins in four fights, Markram will engage in his first 10-round bout which will give an indication about his development.
Four-fight novice Gomes, who is yet to hear the final bell having knocked out all his foes, will have Faradji Said to contend with in a cruiserweight scrap relying on his heavy hands to get him through.
GGP has also slotted in a tasty international middleweight clash between reigning SA junior middleweight champion Nkululeko Mhlongo and unbeaten Araik Marutjan of Germany.