Die-hard boxing fans were treated to fine boxing at the Silver Salvo Boxing Tournament held at Emperors Palace on Saturday, August 9.
The tournament presented by Emperors Palace, in association with Golden Gloves, featured five fights.
Topping the bill was SA’s Ryno Liebenberg and Russia’s Denis Grachev vying for the WBC Light Heavyweight silver belt.
Liebenberg and Grachev’s bout was epic as fans witnessed first-class boxing skills from both fighters.
SA’s fighter was bleeding minutes into the first round, as a result of a hard knock from Grachev, which might have raised concerns for supporters rooting for Liebenberg.
The bleeding seemed to rattle Liebenberg a bit throughout the entire first round, but he also managed to keep going as it was still a bit of an analysis round for both fighters.
Although the bleeding might have made him look weaker, the local fighter started picking up from the second round, landing more tactful punches.
For a number of rounds it was unclear if Grachev was still testing the waters or if that was just his technique of tease-and-attack.
The cool, calm and collected strategy of Grachev came as a disadvantage, as his opponent had already finished analysing and kept landing more firm and direct punches.
The other element that stood out from Grachev was that he kept cornering Liebenberg, however, he didn’t corner him with punches but rather walked him into the corners, which caused the local fighter to escape with more aggressive retaliation throws.
Apart from the retaliation punches, double jabs worked well for Liebenberg, as they seemed to weaken the Russian fighter.
Blood, sweat and swollen right eye were not enough to bring down the “The Lion” (Liebenberg), as he definitely dominated the bout and the points read out at the end or round four just went to prove that fact.
Grachev started bleeding in the fourth round and it was in that same round that the bout had to be paused, with both fighters being instructed to retreat back to their respective corners for their trainers to wipe and control the bleeding, it was pretty bad on both sides at this stage.
“The Lion” had always wanted an opportunity to land an uppercut and managed to do so in the sixth round, which weakened Grachev for sure.
“Finish him Ryno, he is bleeding,” were the words of a supporter, which provided a bit of humour for nearby fans.
It was almost impossible for Liebenberg to slack because he was on a roll knowing when and where to hit and he had immense support from the energetic and cheerful crowd.
Grachev kept going strong even after hearing the second point readings at the end of round eight.
The same readings didn’t lead Liebenberg astray into being more relaxed, but rather saw him enhance his perfect timing of accurate blows, which was epic.
During round 12 Grachev seemed to be picking up, seemingly hoping to bag a few last minute points.
The fans were jumping, clapping and even ululating for Liebenberg after the last round.
The supporter’s celebration before the announcement of who the winner will be was another sign that supported and showed “The Lion’s” dominance throughout the bout.
At the end of it all Liebenberg was awarded the WBC Light Heavyweight silver belt.
Most, if not all, spectators would agree that the Silver Salvo tournament was a night to remember.
Full fightcard results:
- Junior Flyweight-six rounds: Thabang Ramagole with a (Technical Knockout) in 38 seconds in the third round against Olwethu Ngamlana.
- IBO Junior Featherwight World Title-12 rounds: Roli Gasca (Phillipines) vs Thabo Sonjica (South Africa). Bout won by Sonjica by unanimous point’s decision, the judges scored 109-117; 109-116 and 109-116 in favour of Sonjica.
- Junior Light Weight-six rounds: Thanduxolo Gatweni vs Ashley Dlamini. Won by Dlamini with a TKO in the first round in two minutes and two seconds.
- International Cruiserweight-eight rounds: Marcos Antonio Aumada (Argentina) vs Kevin Lerena (South Africa). Won by Lerena by unanimous point’s decision; 75-77; 74-78 and 73-79.
- WBC Light Heavyweight Silver Belt 12 rounds: Denis Grachev (Russia) vs Ryno Liebenberg (South Africa).Won by Liebenberg in a unanimous decision; 112-116; 108-120 and 111-117 in favour of Liebenberg.
