Four fighters. Four battle plans. Four trainers.
The “Rising Titans” tournament on March 1 is more than just a showdown for light-heavyweight honours; it’s a test of the mettle of several of South Africa’s finest trainers.
Steve Pieterse is busy preparing Bonginkosi Nhlapho while Damien Durandt (Bryan Thysse), Alan Toweel (Tuvia Wewege) and Vusi Mtolo (Michael Head) are all hard at work ahead of the much awaited Emperors Palace showdown.
Toweel is the “veteran” of the group, a silver-haired 60-year-old whose family dynasty is one of the most impressive in international boxing. His father, Alan snr, was a venerable trainer who famously looked after Pierre Fourie and Pierre Coetzer, among others.
Alan jnr began training fighters at the age of 21 in 1996 and has produced three SA and 10 African regional champions. His finest achievement came in 2012 when he trained Zolani Marali to beat the highly touted Ali Funeka for the WBF junior welterweight title. He also trained Isaac Chilemba when he drew for the WBC light heavyweight Silver belt against Tony Bellew.
Toweel was an assistant trainer for his father for eight years and a full-time trainer for four years between 1996 and 2000, after which he took a hiatus until 2010. He has since run his gym from Linden, always producing fighters who are fit and well-schooled.
Pieterse, meanwhile, relocated from Johannesburg to Middleburg where he has cornered the Mpumalanga market. He speaks enthusiastically of the interest in boxing in the region and is focused on making Nhlapo, who hails from Nhlazatshe, a star.
Nhlapo has been drawn to fight Wewege, who he just scraped past in their humdinger last October.
Pieterse has been an ever-present at boxing tournaments over the years, no doubt a passion inherited from his father, former SA light heavyweight champion Happy Pieterse, who was a popular campaigner in the old Transvaal in the late 1960’s.
At 34, Durandt is the newbie among the group, but anyone who mistakes his youth for naivete would be sadly mistaken. His late father, Nick, was the most prolific trainer in recent SA boxing history and Damien has picked up the cudgels. This is no surprise. he has been a cornerman since the age of 14, learning at the feet of his father, and an assistant from the age of 18. Once his father retired, in 2016, Damien progressed to manager and chief trainer, now running a thriving gym on the eastern edge of Johannesburg.
He has already trained four SA fighters to national championship glory in Athenkosi Dumezweni, Jackson Chauke, Ntethelelo Nkosi and Brandon Thysse, whose brother Bryan is matched against Wewege on March 1.
Former WBC world cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu also made two successful title defences with Durandt in his corner.
Mtolo, busy training Head, has been a long-time fixture of the local fight scene, first having hooked up with Colin Nathan before branching out on his own.
Having previously worked with top fighters like Moruti Mthalane, Hekkie Budler and Simphiwe Khonco, his current stable includes exciting talent like Roarke Knapp, Shervantaigh Koopman and Beaven Sibanda.
Formerly from KwaZulu-Natal, Mtolo was a young aspirant whose boxing dreams were destroyed when he was stabbed in a violent attack he somehow survived. Thankfully, he took his boxing smarts to the world of training where he continues to make a difference and, importantly, produce new champions from the Brian Mitchell Boxing Academy in Edenvale.
