Today in history: Gerrie Coetzee wins world heavyweight title
One of his weak points was his lack of stamina – if he couldn’t knock an opponent out in the early rounds of the match, he would often tire in the later rounds and lose the match.
Gerrie Coetzee fought against American Michael Dokes in Cleveland, Ohio for the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavy weight title on 23 September 1983.
It was Coetzee’s third attempt at a world title after his two previous attempts ended in defeat.
The boxing match was highly anticipated, as the boxing world and Coetzee’s fans watched with bated breath to see if the third attempt would finally earn Coetzee the big one.
Coetzee won the match by knock-out in the tenth round, and went from the boxer known as ‘the one who couldn’t win the big one’ to South Africa’s first world heavyweight champion.
However, his reign was short-lived as he lost his title in his first defence to Greg Page in 1984.
Coetzee had been plagued by arm injuries, and had several surgeries to both his arms throughout his boxing career.
One of his weak points was his lack of stamina – if he couldn’t knock an opponent out in the early rounds of the match, he would often tire in the later rounds and lose the match.
Coetzee retired from boxing in 1993, with a record of 66 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw.
Information sourced from: South African History Online.
