Germiston boxing legend and local club to host milestone celebrations
Jaap van der Nieuwenhuizen confirms Alberton Amateur Boxing Club's 85th birthday celebrations to be held in May next year.
The respected Alberton Amateur Boxing Club will celebrate its 85th birthday with a big function in May next year.
The legendary referee and judge, Jaap van der Nieuwenhuizen from Germiston, said arrangements are in full swing to make this a memorable occasion.
Van Nieuwenhuizen is South Africa’s most experienced professional referee alongside Stan Christodoulou and Eddie Marshall.
Everyone who contributed over the years – boxers, trainers, officials and parents – is invited to be part of the celebrations.
The club was founded on May 26, 1939, and is the second oldest club in South Africa after Booysens, which is 95 years old.
ALSO READ: Germiston boxing expert gets a lifetime award
The club is situated on Second Avenue in Alberton and operates from the Barry Vorster Hall.
Van Nieuwenhuizen, who made his debut in 1979 in the amateur ranks, turned professional in 1988.
He said it would be a memorable occasion to see all the old faces from the past again.
“We are looking forward to this and we are planning a five-star event,” he said.
The club has produced several big names over the years.
Charlemagne Sam became the Alberton club’s first Springbok when he represented South Africa at the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Wales.
And in 1966 Stephen van Graan also had the honour to get Springbok colours.
The club’s first professional boxer who came through the ranks was Happy Pieterse who fought in the light heavyweight division.
ALSO READ: Boxing giants go head to head at Emperors
Barney Buys, Koos Strydom and Christopher Denicker soon followed in his footsteps.
Denicker fought for a world title but was unsuccessful.
Thereafter several brothers bolstered the ranks that put the club firmly on the road to success.
They include the Breytenbachs, Bekkers, Strydoms, Van Nieuwenhuizens, Claassens, Engelbrechts, die Cloetes, Kok’s and the Meintjies’s.
Trainers that left their mark on the club include Barry Vorster, Albert Flynn, Dirk Smit, Hennie Smit, Dick de Beer, André Lambrecht, Theuns Engelbrecht, Theuns Laubsher, Koos Cloete, Hannes Kok and Gert de Klerk.
The Van Nieuwenhuizen tradition is clearly set with Jaap’s son, David, who is also a professional referee and judge.
