Promnick determined to make debut a winning one
By his own account once a chubby kid, Dean Promnick sure cuts a more impressive athletic shape these days.
Pictures and video clips on social media show a young boxer full of promise: toned, hard-working, fast, driven.
He could hardly have picked a tougher place to make his debut than Emperors Palace, where the TV lights and many of boxing’s most influential figures bring their own pressures to aspirants, the venue of April 5’s “Powerhouse” tournament.
In some ways, Promnick will be coming home. Schooled in Johannesburg – he finished up at King Edward – he has lived in Cape Town since the age of 18. Now 24, he’s made a life for himself in the Cape where a variety of projects, and a love of boxing, keep him incredibly busy.
As a youngster, the middleweight dabbled in Muay Thai and always enjoyed sport, but after becoming bored by the gym routine, took notice of videos of his pals boxing. He then made contact with Matt Leisching, the popular Cape Town trainer, in 2019.
Even while studying towards a Chartered Accounting degree, he was drawn in by boxing’s visceral appeal. Several white collar fights materialised and, most memorably, he got bossed by Aidan Quinn in sparring. The pandemic then put the brakes on his ambitions, but he picked up the action after Covid. He lost his first amateur bout, but then went on a 10-bout rampage that took him to the SA championships, where he ended third in 2022. He was less successful last year, losing to the African Games champion, but defeat only made him more determined.
Two weeks ago, he took the biggest step of his fledgling career by successfully boxing for his pro licence. These are early days, but the likeable youngster is on his way.
Sensibly, he’s adopting a care-free approach. “I’ve never had big ambitions,” he admitted. “I always said to Matt I never saw myself having a pro career. Boxing isn’t something I need to do, so there’s not one specific goal. I’m just enjoying the ride.”
Probably his biggest challenge is ensuring balance. He has a lot going on, which demands early mornings and late nights. Away from boxing, he’s a development manager for FWJK Property Developers. He also has his own business procuring luxury items, plus he and several partners are developing an e-commerce programme.
Boxing thus offers him a strong counterpoint to the pressures of boxing. He doesn’t even mind being hit in the face.
“I do like getting punched, it switches my mindset,” he says. “It’s great coming back from that.”
Unsurprisingly, a rollcall of greats serve as inspiration, from Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali to Roy Jones jnr, Joe Calzaghe, Canelo Alvarez, Junto Nakatani and even Chris Eubank snr.
He’s a long way off that level, but he desperately wants next month to demonstrate his skill and performance – “a performance I can be proud of,” he says.
Early days, he concedes, so long as they are winning ones.
