It’s not always the case that you find a trainer leading brothers in the same tournament in a space of a year, Damien Durandt is going to do it – for the second time – when he ushers Brandon Thysse and his brother Bryan into battle at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, next Saturday.
Durandt led the Thysse brothers to victory in March last year and will be hoping to do it again as Brandon faces Roarke Knapp at a Golden Gloves’ “Sole Survivor” final with the South African and World Boxing Council (WBC) Africa junior-middleweight titles at stake. On the other hand, Bryan takes on his cousin Gerhard Thysse in an SA light-heavyweight title fight.
“Both camps have gone really well for both boxers. Bryan has put his emotions aside despite fighting his cousin. Brandon has put in the best camp of his career, he knows what’s at stake. Brandon and Roarke always bring out the best in each other and that’s why they have produced the best local match up in the past decade,” Durandt remarked.
This is going to be the third meeting between the two boxers with Bryan having won in November 2011 and Knapp returning the favour in June 2022.
Brandon and Knapp will contest in a bout with the biggest purse ever involving two South African antagonists as Golden Gloves has put up R1,2 million to be shared by both boxers. The winner will walk away with 60 percent – R720 000 – of the purse with the loser pocketing R480 000.
Meanwhile, this the same tournament where unbeaten Mdantsane-born boxer Sanele Sogcwayi will come up against Tomas Shifiona from Namibia.
Sogcwayi, who made his professional debut in March last year, has won all his four fights with half of those wins coming from stoppages. He will be fighting for the first time since moving from Ncedo Cecane to train under Manny Fernandes at the Brian Mitchell Boxing Academy in Edenvale, Gauteng. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
