Tommy claims ABU cruiserweight title with ‘calculating style’

The win seemed to have put Oosthuizen and Kevin Lerena on a collision course.

Tommy Oosthuizen using his reach to his advantage as Mchunu attempts to avoid the connection. Photo: Nick Lourens.

Thomas Oosthuizen defeated the odds and Thabiso Mchunu to be crowned the new ABU cruiserweight champion during the Golden Gloves’ Call to Glory event at Emperors Palace on Saturday, September 1.

Out of the ring for over a year, there was even more that presented as an obstacle to Oosthuizen’s comeback.

He’s fresh from incarceration, which placed his fitness and concentration levels in doubt.

He was also making a big step in weight class to cruiserweight – a playing field Mchunu is too familiar with and last but not least, the pressure to deliver a kind of fight to remind doubters that he’s still got what it takes to be a top pugilist.

The fitness box he passed with flying colours – further demonstrating what a master his trainer and legendary boxer Harold Volbrecht is at what he does.

Despite being rocked a few times and running out of gas at stages, Oosthuizen demonstrated exactly what Volbrecht said would happen if his client found himself in trouble: he never gave up and stayed with the better conditioned Mchunu.

The lanky southpaw also made it clear for everyone that he’s still got what it takes – with his hand speed ever so present to keep Mchunu at bay.

The bout, however, was far from comfortable for the talented Boksburg pugilist. He landed plenty but few were damaging and clear-cut, as opposed to Mchunu, whose more damaging blows thanks to his power, connected at more occasions in the balance of things.

Oosthuizen shows little aggression but instead was more of a counter puncher. He did so tactically and brilliantly, especially in the last 10 seconds of every round.

The judges still favoured, even for some controversially, Oosthuizen’s experienced approach to Mchunu’s daring style.

They scored it 115-113 twice and 114-114 in favour of Oosthuizen, improving his record to 28-1-2; 16 KOs while Mchunu dropped to 19-5; 12 KOs.

“I trained hard for this fight, I prepared well,” said Oosthuizen after the win.

“I made a choice earlier in the year to fix my life and go back to doing boxing the way I know. Boxing is a clean sport. When you’re not fighting, you have to keep a clean lifestyle, so I’m doing that, I’m keeping myself clean.”

The win seemed to have put Oosthuizen and Kevin Lerena (21-1; 9) on a collision course and Golden Gloves boss Rodney Berman all but confirmed it after the bout.

“I don’t think Kevin will be in the ring until February or March,” said Berman. “But I think Kevin wants the fight, and I think Tommy wants the fight.”

Lerena, sporting a neat tailor-made suit, approached new champion Oosthuizen after the fight, telling him, “If you want it, you can get it,” before shaking his hand.

Lerena is recovering from an elbow injury he suffered earlier this year. – @SabeloBoksburg