All week long, DonJuan van Heerden had told anyone who would listen how he was going to beat Dean Promnick.

On Saturday he was as good as his word as he dominated and broke down Promnick, boxing with confidence and sticking to a gameplan that was as simple as it was effective.

His high-pressure game proved telling and when Promnick was pulled out at the end of the 10th round, it came as little surprise. He was well beaten.

In doing so, Van Heerden won the ABU middleweight championship and added real vigour to a career that had somewhat stalled. At Emperors Palace the southpaw looked fit and strong, making an early impression as he had the unbeaten Promnick on the deck in the first round, a snaking right hand having done its job.

Van Heerden launched his body attack early and had immediate impact, slowing and hurting Promnick, who could never quite find his rhythm or range. He was tagged by a series of uppercuts and by the fifth was already in deep water. Apart from the occasional flurry, he had no response to Van Heerden’s controlled attacking game.

As the cards were read out, as per WBC protocols, Promnick was down 39-36 on all three judges’ sheets and had it all to do after four rounds.

It was a theme that continued through the middle rounds, Van Heerden’s fitness and firepower the difference on a night when he never looked better.

SIBANDA’S SHOW OF CLASS

Zimbabwe has never had a world boxing champion. By all accounts, the nation is expecting Beaven Sibanda to change that in the coming year.

Fighting on the “Titans of Africa” card, Sibanda produced the performance of the night with an accomplished fifth-round knockout of Richard Garde to claim the vacant IBF International strawweight belt.

Alternating between orthodox and southpaw, the “Flame of Zimbabwe” looked a class apart as he fired off slashing shots behind a great jab that had Garde flummoxed from the start. Sibanda got his punches off quicker, mixed them up and showed real aggression in landing them.

The Filipino tried to mix it, but by the third Sibanda’s right hand was doing its job and Garde wasn’t sure how to do his.

When the end came in the fifth it was swift and savage. The visitor was twice knocked down, taking eight counts, but when a vicious right-handed body shot then found its mark and laid him out, the night was over.

Sibanda, all style and superiority, is ready for anyone in the division.

MALAJIKA THE MASTER

Also on the undercard, Charlton Malajika’s upward trajectory continued as he outboxed RV Deniega to claim the IBO Youth bantamweight belt, the scores of 100-90 (twice) and 98-92 reflecting his superiority.

Malajika’s accuracy and fast hands proved the difference against a man who simply wasn’t equipped to deal with those virtues. Deniega engaged often enough, but Malajika’s shrewd use of distance and his output were a constant theme and Deniega was forced to cover up early.

The Filipino was visibly tired by the fifth round but used his smarts to hang in as Malajika teed off with ease. A debilitating left hand sent Deniega hurtling out the ring in the eighth round, although it was mistakenly ruled a slip. It was the only luck he enjoyed as Malajika sealed the deal with an excellent closing to confirm his status as one South Africa’s finest prospects.

UNDERCARD ACTION

In earlier action, curious judging ensured a majority draw between light heavyweights Bryan Thysse and Jackson Kaptein.

Thysse had seemed to do more than enough to prevail in the six-rounder – the first judge awarded him a landslide 60-54 win – but the two other judges oddly called it a draw handing in cards that read 57-57.

Meanwhile, Seth van Aswegen took a while to get going before finishing Sanele Mbatha with a third-round knockout in their super middleweight bout.

And light heavyweight contender Tuvia Wewege kept busy with a workmanlike points win against Jonathan Sam.

Also, debutante Jared Hensberg overcame early nerves to inflict a brutal KO of Ntsako Miyambo in the fourth.