This is the wrong place to look if you’re hoping for smack talk from Shervantaigh Koopman.
He’s not that sort of boxer, preferring respect over rabble-rousing. His talk is quiet and considered.
Besides, talk counts for little. As Mike Tyson said, “everyone has a plan until they get hit in the mouth.”
Koopman (30) wants to be measured as a fighter. Thusfar, the reviews have him as a dangerous, unbeaten competitor who has barely lost a round in 14 fights stretching over five years.
In just over a month, on October 26, he will face his biggest test. He fights veteran Brandon Cook, a former world title challenger with twice as many fights as the South African.
He loves a good scrap and presses the action.
Koopman, who hails from Primrose, where he lives with his family, spends his days at the sweat box that doubles as Brian Mitchell’s gym in Edenvale. He’s enjoying precious rounds of sparring with stablemates Roarke Knapp and Darrin Rossouw. It’s hard graft shot through with risk, but Koopman is tougher than he looks. He boxes fluidly and without fuss, his timing marking him as a special talent.
“He’s very, very good,” says Mitchell, who believes he has the goods to claim a major title.
Promoter Rodney Berman feels similarly. “South African boxing needs a hero. Shervantaigh fits the bill. He’s technically so good and has no rough edges. I’m keen to see how he handles a veteran like Cook.”
Koopman himself tells it as he sees it. “Cook’s a pressure fighter, comes forward. He’s aggressive, but can’t really fight on the back foot. He’s quite straight forward, not a lot of head movement.”
It’s less a criticism than a straight answer to a direct question. He’s more comfortable this way, knowing it won’t matter much anyway when it’s him and Cook in the ring.
He believes the Canadian will probably be his toughest test given his experience and aggression. Not that he’s troubled by the prospect. Cook represents just another opponent who must be beat.
Koopman says fighters must learn from every performance, as he did after beating Wendy Toussaint last time out. He won without fuss, but it wasn’t flawless. “I didn’t cut the ring off as I should have,” he said. “I must also mix it up more.”
He’s thus using the build-up to polish his game ahead of the big night at Emperors Palace on October 26.
He’s been able to strike a fine balance between training, resting and working as a personal trainer in Bedfordview. It’s a life he enjoys as he works his way towards a major ranking and perhaps even a championship shot before long.
He watches video of fighters like Floyd Mayweather, Gervonta Davis, Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford and he dreams of his own crazy nights and sweet victories.
Cook, equal parts rugged and determined, will come hard.
As ever, Koopman will be ready to put on a show of his own.
