Oosthuizen to get crack at WBA title
FORMER undefeated IBO super-middleweight champion Thomas “Tommy Gun” Oosthuizen is on the brink of fighting for the WBA lightheavyweight title.
The Venezuela sanctioning body has given him a No 4 rating.
The division is ruled by newly crowned champion Bernard Hopkins. The 49-year-old American, who also holds the IBF belt, won the WBA title from Beibut Shumanov last weekend.
Oosthuizen is rated a spot below Elieder Alvarez, who is breathing heavily behind No 2 contender Nadjib Mohammedi. The No 1 spot is vacant.
Oosthuizen got elevated to the top-five bracket barely two weeks after being welcomed back to the Golden Gloves Promotions stable by promoter Rodney Berman.
The veteran promoter had shown the 26-year-old boxer the door in January for failing to honour a fight against Alvarez that was to be televised by HBO in Canada.
Oosthuizen, who is yet to lose a fight after 24 contests, pulled out citing an injury from a motorcycle crash.
But Golden Gloves later claimed that Oosthuizen was actually out of shape, and that was attributed to alleged wayward behaviour that involved excessive drinking.
But Berman welcomed the boxer back last week after Oosthuizen had gone through a two-month rehabilitation programme.
“It takes a big man to admit to have messed up,” the promoter said.
On Tuesday, Oosthuizen vacated the IBO super-middleweight title, which he had defended successfully seven times.
Trainer Harold Volbrecht, who hones the skills of this former IBO Youth light-heavyweight champion, is delighted by the new developments.
“We are excited. This is a good opportunity for Tommy,” Volbrecht said, adding that his charge was back on track.
“He spends quality time in the gym. Everything is falling in to place nicely and I hope it stays like that forever,” he said.