Ryno sets sights on third title

By the time his bout against Gabriel Ramirez, which will be for the WBC international silver light-heavyweight title, ends at Emperors Palace tomorrow night he would have concluded his eighth fight during the period and hopefully would have added a third belt to his collection.

Yesterday marked the anniversary of his rise to prominence which started with a dramatic come-from-behind knockout of Tshepang Mohale and has seen him improve to become the IBO All Africa light-heavyweight champion and IBO intercontinental title holder in the same division.

Tomorrow night he will put his unbeaten record on the line when he meets Ramirez, a fighter who holds a 13-4-1 record, a proposition that isn’t worrying the fighter who hails from the West Rand.

“I believe we’re going to have a good fight. I’ve seen tapes of him and he’s a come-forward fighter, but I’m not scared of anything,” said Liebenberg, who has stopped eight foes in his 12 wins.

The confidence is backed up by Liebenberg’s strong work ethic, an attribute that his trainer, Colin Nathan, describes as one of the keys to the success he is currently enjoying.

“We’re confident, but not overly so because we know this is boxing and anything can happen. But I’ve got a fighter who is dedicated, disciplined and gives 100% when he steps into the ring,” Nathan said yesterday.

“The thing with Ryno is that he’s learning in each and every fight and he is a dedicated person,” he added.

Having analysed their opponent, who has not gone further than 10 rounds in his career, there is a belief that Ramirez poses some danger in the early rounds, but with a carefully worked out game plan, the pair believe that victory will be theirs.