Rodney Berman isn’t one to tempt fate, but he’s put contingency plans in place in the event of either Kevin Lerena or Johnny Muller getting knocked out this weekend.
The pair top the “Brawl for it All” tournament at Emperors Palace on Sunday.
Boxing South Africa regulations stipulate that a fighter who is TKO’d or suffers multiple knockdowns may be suspended for 60 days, while this stretches to 90 days in the event of a clear knockout.
Ordinarily this wouldn’t matter, but Berman’s next major tournament is on June 11 where the cruiserweight Super Four picks up again.
At that event, this weekend’s winner fights Roberto Bolonti with the loser pitched against unbeaten Micki Nielsen. It’s no problem if the loser goes down on points, but he effectively disqualifies himself if he gets belted inside the distance.
And this is why Berman has lined up a reserve, just in case there is a knockout this weekend.
“It’s more than just a rematch, it’s a rematch with needle and the opportunity to win big money,” said Berman, explaining that the winner of the Super Four would pocket in the region of R1,5-million.
Ticket sales have exceeded expectations with the respective camps having attracted big backing in recent days.
