Last bell for famous boxer
Gerrie de Bruyn, one of South Africa’s finest boxers of all times and a lifelong resident of the East Rand and Ekurhuleni, died at the age of 76 in Primrose on March 8.
ALBERTON – The late Gerrie was buried out of the Elshammah Church in Primrose, with tributes by Ron Jackson and Nigel Pera. Several Springbok boxers from the past acted as pall bearers.
He started to box from boyhood at Primrose club and, in his Springbok colours, won a bronze medal at the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff. Gerrie was eliminated in the semi-finals by the veteran Madigan from Australia.
Alberton’s first Springbok, Charl Sam, was a Springbok team mate of Gerry at the event. The famous boxing writer, Chris Greyvenstein, described Gerrie de Bruyn as ‘a man who gained respect rather than fame and fortune during his professional boxing career’.
Gerry will be remembered for some big career highlights. In 1966, he ended Billy Lotter’s two-year reign as SA heavyweight champion since February 1964.
His legendary fights included his Hottie van Heerden encounter as well as his Mike Holt bout, where he was outscored by the more experienced Holt. Chris Greyvenstein described him in his book The Fighters as “a strong, hard-hitting and utterly fearless fighter”.
In 1970, at the age of 32, while he was working on a building site, Gerrie fell heavily when the scaffolding he stood on broke. His spine was irreparably injured and his spine has been paralysed from the waist.
He spent the last 44 years of his life in a wheelchair. That did not prevent him from attending every single event of the East Rand Veterans Boxing Association (ERVBA) and his absence at their monthly meetings will be sadly noted.
