Shervantaigh Koopman’s world has just got a whole lot bigger.
The junior middleweight sensation will be the first fighter signing with Lennox Lewis’ Lion Promotions in partnership with Adriano Sport and Music and Golden Gloves.
The plan is to showcase the unbeaten boxer to a wider international audience while enjoying managerial and technical input from Lewis and his team.
“This is a great endorsement of his skills,” said promoter Rodney Berman. “Lennox likes what he sees and is excited about Shervantaigh’s development.”
The IBO Intercontinental champion’s march to the top will continue when he headlines “The Coronation” bill at Emperors Palace on May 31 when he meets highly rated Uisma Lima of Angola, who now fights out of Portugal where he has amassed a 13-1 record. Lima’s full IBO championship will be on the line.
The Angolan is rated 11th by the IBF while Koopman enjoys a top 15 ranking within both the WBA and WBC.
Lima last boxed in December when he outmatched previously unbeaten Sukhdeep Singh Bhatti for the vacant IBO belt. It came on the back of another top performance when he outpointed unbeaten Haro Matevosyan to set up his title shot.
The showdown against the South African will thus be his third consecutive outing against an unbeaten opponent.
Koopman, however, won’t be awed. Last October he scored the best win of his career when he stopped Brandon Cook in five wild rounds, a victory that came on the back of another outstanding win, against Wendy Toussaint four months earlier.
“He’s met every challenge,” said Berman. “He thrives under pressure, which is a great quality in this sport. With Lennox’s backing and Shervantaigh’s ability, we’re looking forward to what’s to come.”
The hope is that before long Koopman will come into the reckoning for a place in Riyadh Season, the Saudi boxing powerhouse led by Turki Al-Sheikh.
Koopman is good enough. The best-kept secret in the division, as Brian Mitchell says, deserves to shine.
