Dean Promnick remembers his debut like it was yesterday. He was just moments away from his first professional fight when a legend stepped into the changeroom at Emperors Palace. Brian Mitchell, South Africa’s great former world champion, looked him in the eye and said: “It’s just four rounds. Twelve minutes, man. Go in there and give everything you’ve got.”
It was simple, powerful advice. And it’s stayed with Promnick ever since.
Now, five pro fights in, Promnick is preparing for the biggest test of his young career: his first 10-round bout, against the seasoned DonJuan van Heerden, for the ABU middleweight belt on July 5. The intensity is higher, the rounds are longer, but the mindset remains the same: leave nothing behind.
“The first four go by quickly,” he says. “Then there are six more. It’s not terrifying . . . it’s just more to give.”
Training in Cape Town has been relentless. Early mornings, long sparring sessions, strength and conditioning, and the constant mental sharpening that comes with preparing for a dangerous opponent. “I’m the fittest I’ve ever been,” Promnick says. “This camp’s been great. Sure, you always have the usual boxer niggles – a sore hand or finger, tight muscles – but I’m right where I need to be.”
Promnick is coming off a solid eight-round victory over the rugged Kudakwache Banda. It wasn’t flashy, but it was gritty and disciplined, the kind of win that teaches a fighter more than any first-round knockout. “I don’t go in there trying to knock someone out,” he says. “I apply pressure, I stay busy. That’s what wears guys down.”
He remembers being six rounds deep in that fight and thinking, “Wow, still two more?” But by the eighth round, he had found a second wind and could’ve gone even longer. That confidence carried through into this camp, and when the offer came to fight Van Heerden over 10, he didn’t hesitate.
He’s not naive about the challenge. “DonJuan’s experienced. He’s been around, he knows his way around a ring. I expect him to come out swinging, maybe even hunting for the KO.”
But Promnick is unfazed. “I’ve got a tight guard. I’m not worried about his power. I trust my defence. And when he throws, he can expect something back.”
The fight is expected to be a war of attrition early on. Both fighters like to come forward, both apply pressure. The first three rounds could be blistering. That suits Promnick just fine. “I’ll be there every second. After that, my fitness will take over.”
He’s been sparring exclusively with southpaws in preparation. “It was tricky at first,” he admits, “but now I’m in the zone. I’ve been getting in 12 to 20 rounds of quality sparring a week. I’m up at 4:30 every morning. This is the life I’ve chosen, and I’m giving it everything.”
Despite the stakes, he’s calm. Grounded. He’s not distracted by the crowd or the occasion. “It’s just you and the guy in front of you,” he says. “Everything else disappears.”
Van Heerden may have the edge in experience, but Promnick believes momentum is on his side, and that counts for something. “He might think he’s going to walk through me. But I’ve trained too hard, I’m too prepared. This fight means more to him than to me. That takes the pressure off.”
And above all, he’s still guided by Mitchell’s words. Give everything. Leave nothing behind. Fight like it’s your last.
