Knapp unfazed by late change

Much to everyone’s relief, the Golden Gloves Box and Dine tournament dubbed “No Love Lost” has been rescued and will proceed tonight at Emperor’s Palace.

It has been a nerve-racking week for Golden Gloves tournament co-ordinator Jeff Ellis and he will all heave a sigh of relief when the first punch is thrown this evening.

Two originally slated fights had to be cancelled in quick succession during the week due to unforeseen Covid-19-related circumstances but kudos to Ellis and his team, who scrambled into action and rescued the tournament.

The much-anticipated junior middleweight rematch between Brandon “Fast Guns” Thysse and Roarke “Razor” Knapp (above) was the biggest casualty.

Thysse and his trainers, Damien Durandt and Adson Kazembe, all tested positive for Covid on Monday and that fight was canned.

The card was further decimated on Thursday when the WBA Pan-African junior bantamweight clash between Ricardo Malajika and Sabelo Ngebinyana, also had to be scrapped when both fighters, as well as Ngebinyana’s trainer, tested positive.

The strong, rugged Cape Townbased Angolan Cristiano “Warrior of Faith” Ndombassy (12-5-9 kos), was battle-ready and will now face Knapp in a scheduled 10-rounder for the WBA Pan-African middleweight title.

Knapp (12-1-1- 10 knockouts), trained by Vusi Mtolo at the RUB Boxing Gym in Edenvale, is unfazed by the late change of opponent or the step up to a higher weight class.

“A new opponent doesn’t change a whole lot. It’s a chess game. Ultimately one has to adapt to what’s in front of you in the ring, judge what you see and handle it,” said Knapp.

“I’m just excited to showcase what I’ve learnt, how far I’ve come and what I’ve gained through my training camps.”

Despite the disappointment on losing out on an opportunity to avenge his sole career loss, he still has Thysse on his radar but for now, he’s focusing on his own journey.

The revised bill also features South African junior middleweight champion Shervantaigh Koopman (8-0), who faces Angolan Henriques Lando (6-2-0) for the vacant IBF Inter-Continental junior middleweight title and a full undercard.