Less than a year ago, DonJuan van Heerden had ambitions of becoming a world champion, but now he has announced that he’s quitting the fistic sport just four months after suffering a first round stoppage loss to Phikelelani Khumalo.
The 24-year-old Van Heerden announced his decision to hang up his gloves on his Facebook page on Wednesday morning. He was due to face Botswana boxer Mmusi Tswiige at the Grand Palm Hotel in Gaborone on Friday, 1 May.
“This isn’t easy for me to say, but I’ve decided to take some time away from boxing for now. This sport has given me so much – the highs, the lows, the lessons, the discipline. It’s a part of who I am. But right now, there are things in my life that need my attention and I owe it to myself and the people I love to be present for that,” Van Heerden wrote.
The southpaw added: “It’s not goodbye, it’s just a pause. I’ll be back stronger, wiser and more focused than ever. Thank you to everyone who has supported me, stood by me and believed in me through it all. It means more than you know.”
Van Heerden surrendered his African Boxing Union (ABU) middleweight title to Khumalo at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, in November last year. After the fight, Khumalo climbed out of the ring with both the ABU and South African middleweight belts.
Van Heerden, a 2023 Prospect of the Year award winner from Meyerton in Gauteng, took the shocking decision to quit boxing having won 10 fights with seven knockouts and four losses.
