Sometimes, heart alone can’t carry you across the finish line. At Emperors Palace last night, South Africa’s Shervantaigh Koopman gave everything he had, and then some, but it wasn’t enough to dethrone Portugal’s Uisma Lima, who retained his IBO super welterweight championship with a ninth-round stoppage in a bout that was as punishing as it was poignant.
Lima has made a habit of venturing overseas to dent unbeaten boxers’ records. His last three opponents had a combined record of 52-0, yet he beat all three. He looked very special here and will no doubt continue to damage reputations.
From the opening bell, Lima, fighting out of the southpaw stance, came out like a man with a plane to catch. His aggression was immediate, his intent unmistakeable. Koopman, caught cold, was forced onto the back foot as Lima, built like a pitbull and similarly vicious, let his hands go with venom and volume. The first round was less a feel-out and more a firestorm.
Rounds two and three saw Lima turn from boxer to bruiser. He mauled, muscled, and manhandled Koopman in close quarters, imposing his will with a physicality that bordered on cruel. But Koopman, ever the warrior, refused to wilt. By the third, the crowd had found its voice. “Koopman! Koopman!” they roared, willing their man into the fight.
And he responded. With deft head movement and sharp counters, Koopman began to slip shots and return fire. Lima’s left hand remained a menace, but Koopman’s timing was improving, and for a moment, the tide seemed to tease a turn.
But boxing is a game of inches and impact, and Lima’s shots carried more of both. By the fifth, it was clear: if Koopman was to change the narrative, he’d need to hurt Lima. The problem? He never did.
Rounds six and seven were a storm, and Koopman was caught in the eye of it. Lima’s punches came in waves; an unrelenting assault that battered but didn’t quite break the South African. Still, the signs were ominous. Koopman’s defence, once slick, began to fray. His responses slowed. His corner, curiously quiet, offered little urgency.
By the eighth, the writing was on the wall, and it was written in bruises. Koopman was rocked, reeled, and repeatedly caught clean. The crowd, once electric, grew anxious.
Then came the ninth. A thunderous left hand from Lima sent Koopman to the canvas for an eight count, unfamiliar territory for the gallant fighter. He rose, brave, battered, and blinking, but the end was near. Lima, sensing the finish, pounced. Another left landed flush, and with it, the towel came fluttering in like a white flag in a red storm.
It was over.
Koopman gave his all. But sometimes, in this unforgiving sport, all just isn’t enough.
KUSE SURVIVES EARLY BARRAG
They say champions aren’t made in comfort, they’re forged in chaos. And last night in the main undercard bout, South Africa’s Siya Kuse proved just that, clawing his way back from a nightmare start to claim a unanimous decision victory over the Philippines’ Samuel Salva in a 10-round war that tested every ounce of his resolve.
The bell had barely finished ringing when disaster struck. In a whirlwind of leather and fury, Salva sent Kuse crashing to the canvas in the opening round, a knockdown that silenced the crowd and sent shockwaves through his corner. The South African was forced to cover up, weathering a wild storm as the visitor came out swinging like a man possessed.
Kuse looked rattled. His timing was off, his range elusive, and his rhythm, usually a metronome of precision, was scattered like puzzle pieces in a hurricane. Salva, sharp and strong, played the role of counter-punching predator to perfection, punishing every misstep with crisp, calculated replies.
But boxing is a long game, and Kuse is nothing if not a survivor.
By the middle rounds, the tide began to turn. Kuse, slowly but surely found his feet, and then his fire. The jab began to land. The feet began to move. The crowd, sensing the shift, roared him on. By the seventh, he was in full flow, snapping shots with confidence, dictating the pace, and forcing Salva to retreat for the first time in the fight.
Salva, to his credit, remained dangerous, aware that fighting on foreign soil meant he had to do more than just compete. But the momentum had shifted, and Kuse was now the man in command.
Then came the ninth, and with it, the exclamation point. A perfectly timed shot sent Salva to the canvas for an eight-count, the culmination of Kuse’s relentless resurgence. Though Salva beat the count, the damage was done. The final round saw Kuse close the show with poise and pressure, sealing what had once seemed an unlikely victory.
When the final bell rang, the judges were unanimous: Kuse had done enough, winning by scores of 97-91, 95-94 and 97-92. He had survived the storm, turned the tide, and kept his world title dreams alive.
Next stop? A WBC world championship eliminator.
The road remains open, and last night, Kuse proved he’s more than ready to walk it.
HEAVY HANDS, EVEN SCORE
In a night filled with drama and determination, the heavyweight international bout between South Africa’s Juan “JJ” Alberts and the crafty Mateus Munhoz Matias Da Penha delivered eight rounds of grit and good old-fashioned slugging, ending in a draw that felt only vaguely satisfactory.
The crowd at Emperors Palace was firmly in Alberts’ corner from the start, roaring their support for the 115kg hometown hero, who seemed to have done enough, only for the judges to weigh in. South Africans love a heavyweight, and they’ve clearly taken a shine to the young, rising Alberts. But the opening bell brought more questions than answers.
Alberts began cautiously, his timing off, his punches short. Munhoz, meanwhile, was all movement and mischief, switch-hitting, darting in and out, and landing sharp counters that kept Alberts guessing. The Brazilian fighter’s footwork and ring IQ were on full display, frustrating the South African’s early attempts to impose his size and strength.
But Alberts, still raw but resolute, began to settle. By the fifth round, uncharted waters for him, having never gone beyond four, he showed he belonged. He took a big left hand flush, and for the first time in his young career, fans got to see his chin tested. He passed with flying colours.
From there, Alberts grew into the fight. He kept pressing forward, setting a solid pace through the sixth and seventh, showing surprising stamina for a man of his size. His punches began to find their mark, and while Munhoz remained elusive and dangerous, the momentum had evened out.
By the final bell, both men had their moments, both had their bruises, and both had earned respect in a competitive scrap. For Alberts, the night was more than just a result. It was a lesson. A test. And most importantly, eight valuable rounds in the bank. It was a view endorsed by promoter Rodney Berman, who was satisfied with the 23-year-old’s showing.
He’s still a work in progress, but the raw materials are there, and with nights like this, the experience will only sharpen the steel.
Credit to both fighters for a spirited contest. For Alberts, the journey continues, with a few more miles under his belt and a few more believers in his corner.
- UNDERCARD ACTION
In earlier action, featherweight prospect Sanele Sogcwayi was given all the trouble he could handle against debutante Siphesihle Nkomo of KZN.
The southpaw from the Eastern Cape was caught early and often by several uppercuts, but he was slick enough to take evasive action,.
Nkomo was effective on the counter, but never able to take control. In the third he was decked for an eight count, allowing Sogcwayi to win a comfortable decision over four rounds.
At middleweight, SA’s Darrin Rossouw and Paulus Amavila of Namibia parked niceties and simply banged their way to an entertaining six-round draw.
And in the show opener, Tyla Promnick continued her rise as a strawweight as she battered Zanele Masilela to defeat in the second round. She found her range early, dropped the Mpumalanga boxer three times in the first, and then swarmed all over her in the second to force a TKO with the towel signalling surrender.
