The 27-year-old Oosthuizen was forced to relinquish the title he was set to defend against New Zealand’s Robert Berridge, on the Golden Gloves’ D-Day at the Palace bill, after coming in at 80.5kg – an outcome which also resulted in him losing 30 per cent of his purse.
Berridge weighed in at 78.9kg.
Oosthuizen, however, went on to defeat his opponent via unanimous decision, with the title remaining vacant.
Asked what he’s been up to since the setback, the tall southpaw, talking from the Hammer Gym in Boksburg, said: ”I’ve been training hard, boxing is my passion and I’ve got a mentor in boxing, Harold Volbrecht.
“I also have a life mentor, Henk Strydom, which is something I should’ve had when I rose to fame as a 21-year-old, after beating Jared Lovett for the IBO Youth Light-heavyweight title.
“I’ve made mistakes, I’m only human, and Henk has told me to make sure it hurts, because, if it doesn’t hurt it doesn’t matter. So, I’m going to make sure that I continue training hard and that it hurts.”
Oosthuizen confirmed his union with the county’s mega boxing promoter, Golden Gloves.
“Yes, I’m still with Golden Gloves and my next fight is in November, in France, which will give me time to be in the best possible form,” he said.
”I can’t go into detail about the fight, though, because it’s yet to be officially announced.”
Asked to comment on what transpired when he failed to make the cut on the scale, in June, the Volbrecht trainee responded: “I lost a lot of weight the day before the official weigh-in and I still had to lose more during the official weigh-in.
“I was mentally and emotionally distracted, which made it hard to manage my career. Nobody wants that (to fail to make the weight). I emotionally hurt myself.
“I tried to manage the world around me instead of managing myself.”
Oosthuizen is not new to controversy. He’s found himself in contentious situations in recent times, before and including his weigh-in setback, yet he’s managed to come back stronger and keep his undefeated record intact in the process.
Asked how he stays motivated despite all the setbacks, he said: “Faith. And hope. If it wasn’t for God, I wouldn’t be here.”
In regard to his next goal, Oosthuizen responded in typical ”Tommy Gun” fashion.
“To be world champion, that’s what I am, even seated here. I didn’t lose my title, I was stripped.
“Thanks to everybody who’s supported me and I’d like to send a special thanks to my sponsor, Samlin Hammond, and to Henk Strydom.”
Oosthuizen has had 27 ring outings in his professional career, with 25 wins and two draws. His record also includes 13 knockout victories. – @SabeloBoksburg
