Gert Strydom calls it a day

Strydom said he trained boxers year round only for them to fight once every twelve months.

“Leaving boxing is never an easy decision especially knowing that the future of other people would be affected,” Strydom said in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

“I cannot call myself an honest man if I train them knowing that they won’t fight at the end of the day. Staying at the gym costs us money and we would expect to get fights in return.”

According to Strydom, who closed his Bronx Gym in Hillbrow recently, since local boxing had experienced a blackout from the public broadcaster, the sport itself had been on the canvas. He took a swipe at Boxing SA which, he said, practised double standards.

“The office must get its house in order if it wants to bring boxing to its former glory. They are practising double standards and there is no loyalty — certain things happen for certain people and certain thing can’t happen for next person,” he said.

“I have been part of boxing all my life, but for the past six years the situation has been getting worse by the day and boxing in South Africa is dying a peaceful death. It is unfortunate to leave the sport I love in that way.”

However, the lanky trainer said his doors were open to his former boxers if they ever needed advice on boxing-related issues.

“There is no bad blood between us. I sat them down three weeks before taking this decision so it did not come as a shock to them,” he said of his former charges.

“I even advised them to look for the jobs to provide for their families because boxing is failing to do so.”

Strydom worked with trainer Manny Fernandez as his second in command for fifteen years before opening his own gym. Under his instruction, Malcolm Klassen twice won the IBF junior lightweight title, Cape Town’s Mzonke Fana won the same belt, Takalani Ndlovu was crowned IBF featherweight champion and Isaac Hlatshwayo and Oscar Chauke both won IBO titles.

– Sapa