‘Thunder’ brought the storm to EFC 61
Elsburg fighter betters his opponent at the EFC 61.
Elsburg’s Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) fighter, Pietie ‘Thunder’ Coxen, delivered as promised at EFC 61.
Coxen went up against Congolese national,Tresor Boluwa, during their welterweight fight held at Sun City last Saturday (GCN, July 7, “Thunder is ready to roll”).
Coxen won the fight via a rear-naked choke in the second round.
“The bout was scheduled for three rounds but I promised ‘thunder’ and ‘storms’ and had to deliver on my promise,” said Coxen.
“This was great considering that I had not fought for a year because of an injury.
“I was a bit nervous at first but managed to shake off the nerves and focus.”
Coxen added that his win was well fought for.
“The first round was tough as Boluwa is bigger than I am and he used his weight to his advantage,” said Coxen.
“I turned the tables around and hit him with a ‘thunder’ fist which caused him to pull back a bit.
“Another thing that helped me was when my trainer, JP Kruger, told me to fight my own fight and not that of my opponent.
“This gave me a boost because I went into the second round firing shots. I applied all I had been taught during training over the past few months.”
The Elsburg fighter said this was his first submission.
“This is my first submission as a professional fighter; I previously won via technical knockouts but never because of submission,” said Coxen.
“It is really humbling to return ‘with a bang’ and I hope to keep up the momentum.
“I thank God for seeing me through the fight and for the opportunity to showcase my talent.
“Thank you to my coaches namely, Kruger, Charl van Tonder and Neel Mahoney for preparing me for the fight.
“Another thank you goes to my manager, Jimmy James, for his consistent support and to my sponsors, Panda Jiu-Jitsu, Andy’s Bar, Digital ID Technologies and A2Z Truck and Trailer.”
Coxen also thanked his family.
“I truly appreciate the immense support I get from my family, friends and my community. It is truly humbling to know you have people rooting for you,” he said.
“Thank you to my teammates at House of Tinkerbell for also helping me prepare for the fight.
“I am grateful that I didn’t pick up injuries from the fight and I hope to be back in the hexagon soon.
“I don’t have any fights yet, but I am already in training.
“I am ready for more action.”
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