Former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
25
th
ANNIVERSARY
© GERRIE COETZEE 2010-2018
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It
is
25
years
ago
that
Gerrie
Coetzee
stunned
the
boxing
world
when,
on
September
23,
1983
in
Cleveland,
Ohio,
he
knocked
out
Michael
Dokes
in
the
tenth
round
to
win
the
World
Boxing
Association
heavyweight title.
It
still
rates
as
one
of
the
supreme
moments
in
the
history
of
SA
sport;
the
night
Gerrie
Coetzee
won
a
portion
of
the
heavyweight
championship of the world.
When
the
Boksburg
Bomber
won
the
WBA
title,
there
was
only
one
other
recognised
heavyweight
champion
–
Larry
Holmes,
who
held the WBC title.
Gerrie
was
the
first
white
heavyweight
champion
since
Ingemar
Johansson
in
1959
and
the
first
South
African
to
win
a
world
heavyweight
title.
It
remains
one
of
the
greatest performances by any SA sportsman.
Coetzee’s
reign
as
WBA
champion
did
not
last
long.
Only
14
months
after
winning
the
belt,
he
was
knocked
out
by
Greg
Page.
They
met
at
Sun
City
on
December
1,
1984,
in
a
bout filled with controversy.
Born
on
April
8,
1955,
in
Witfield,
Boksburg,
Coetzee
was
the
oldest
of
four
children.
His
father,
Flip,
an
amateur
trainer,
“bribed”
the
reluctant
Gerrie
to
put
on
gloves
and
get
into
the ring. It cost him 50c a time.
The
youngster
later
began
to
enjoy
the
sport
and
at
the
age
of
13,
he
won
the
Eastern
Transvaal
bantamweight
title.
He
went
on
to
win
the
senior
amateur
heavyweight
championship
in
1973
when
he
stopped
Kallie
Knoetze in the final.
After
an
estimated
192
amateur
fights,
he
turned professional at the age of 19.
On
September
14,
1974,
Coetzee
beat
former
SA
heavyweight
champion
Chris
Roos
on
points over four rounds.
On
August
16,
1976,
he
won
the
SA
heavyweight
title
from
Mike
Schutte
on
a
sixth-round
disqualification.
This
was
his
13th
professional
fight
and
it
proved
an
unlucky
one
as
he
injured
his
right
hand,
which
was
to
give him trouble for the rest of his career.
In October the same year Coetzee met his old
amateur
rival
Knoetze.
He
went
into
the
fight
against
medical
advice
but
despite
a
pulled
back
muscle,
he
won
a
disputed
10-round
points
decision.
He
then
became
“supreme”
SA
heavyweight
champion
when
he
knocked
out
black
champion
James
Mathatho
on
November 27, 1976.
After
an
easy
three-round
stoppage
of
Pierre
Fourie,
and
in
a
rematch
with
Schutte,
Coetzee
won
his
17th
pro
fight
in
a
row,
but
paid
a
heavy
price
when
he
shattered
bones
in
both
hands.
He
told
his
corner
in
the
second
round
that
he
had
pain
in
his
left
hand
and in the third felt his right hand going.
Showing
tremendous
courage,
he
continued
to
punish
Schutte
to
win
on
points
over
12
rounds.
At
the
end
of
the
fight
his
gloves
had
to be cut off his swollen hands.
A
Johannesburg
surgeon
performed
a
complex
operation
on
his
right
hand
in
April
1977
and
at
the
same
time
operated
on
the
left.
After
a
six-month
layoff,
Coetzee
returned
to
the
ring
on
October
30,
1977,
to
stop
American
Tom
Prater
in
four.
He
then
knocked
out
another
American,
Johnny
Boudreaux,
in
six
rounds
in
December.
After
a
lacklustre
win
over
Randy
Stephens
in
May
1978
Coetzee
needed
another
operation
on
his right hand.
It
was
reported
that
Coetzee
had
taken
a
pain
killer
that
was
to
blame
for
his
poor
performance.
However,
Coetzee
denied
that
a
tranquilliser
had
anything
to
do
with
his
performance.
However,
the
Transvaal
Boxing
Board
of
Control
was
upset
about
Coetzee’s
performance
and
because
he
tried
to
use
a
plastic
splint
for
his
right
hand.
It
was
reported
that
Coetzee,
previously
a
dental
technician,
had
made
a
thin
protector
from
plastic
cut
from a milk bottle.
Curtis
Cokes,
who
trained
Stephens,
saw
the
splint
being
taped
on
to
Coetzee’s
hand
and
objected.
The
Transvaal
Boxing
Board
then
held
an
enquiry
and
announced
that
Coetzee,
his
manager,
Hal
Tucker,
and
co-manager
Jock
Lewin,
as
well
as
trainer
Flip
Coetzee
were
all
suspended
for
six
months.
No
reasons
were
given
but
after
an
appeal,
the
suspension
was
reduced to three months.
In
December
1978
Coetzee
returned
to
action
with
a
clear-cut
win
over
tough
American
Dale
Ibar Arrington.
His
next
fight,
in
June
1979,
was
against
former
world
champion
Leon
Spinks,
who
had
beaten Muhammad Ali.
They
met
in
Monte
Carlo
and
after
a
stunning
123-second
knockout
Coetzee
was
back
in
the international spotlight.
On
October
20,
1979,
a
crowd
of
more
than
77 000 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria saw
Coetzee
go
through
15
dull
rounds
in
losing
to
American
John
Tate
for
the
vacant
WBA
heavyweight belt.
Coetzee
needed
only
100
seconds
to
return
to
contention
when,
in
April
1980,
he
knocked
out
Mike
Koranicki
of
the
US
to
set
up
a
match
with
Mike
Weaver
for
the
WBA
heavyweight title at Sun City on October 25.
Weaver
had
won
the
WBA
belt
with
a
sensational
15th-round
knockout
over
John
Tate seven months earlier.
Against
Weaver,
Coetzee
boxed
well
in
the
early
rounds.
In
the
eighth,
he
had
Weaver
dazed
against
the
ropes
but
he
failed
to
land
the pay-off punch.
Coetzee
began
to
fade
and
in
the
13th
round
Weaver
landed
a
right
hook
that
dumped
him
on
the
canvas.
Coetzee
made
it
to
his
feet
but
was
in
no
condition
to
continue
and
referee
Jesus
Celis
of
Venezuela
completed
the
count.
In
March
1981,
Coetzee
scored
a
lacklustre
points
win
over
George
Chaplin.
He
then
lost
a
disputed
ten-round
decision
to
Renaldo
Snipes
in
New
York
and
stopped
another
American,
Leroy
Caldwell,
in
five
in
Johannesburg.
In
1982
he
beat
Fossie
Schmidt,
Scott
Le
Doux
and
Stan
Ward
but
failed
to
impress.
In
January
1983
he
fought
a
to
a
majority
draw
with
future
WBC
heavyweight
champion
Pinklon
Thomas.
At
the
time
Coetzee
was
considered
an
enigma,
an
extremely
talented
fighter
who
had
two
cracks
at
the
world
heavyweight title and failed on each occasion.
Unbeaten
Michael
Dokes,
from
Akron,
Ohio,
won
the
WBA
heavyweight
belt
when
he
stopped
Weaver
in
the
first
round
in
May
1983.
It
was
a
controversial
ending
when
referee
Joey
Curtis
suddenly
called
the
fight
off
after
63
seconds.
The
4
700
spectators
chanted
“Bull…!”
and
“Fix!
Fix!
Fix”.
In
a
return
match
six
months
later,
Dokes
retained
the belt with a 15-round draw.
Facing
what
many
felt
was
an
impossible
task,
Coetzee,
then
28,
took
a
third
crack
at
the
WBA
title
when
he
challenged
Dokes
in
Cleveland
on
September
23,
1983.
Many
observers
felt
the
26-year-old
Dokes
was
better
prepared,
faster
and
bigger
than
Coetzee.
Dokes,
knowing
the
implications
of
a
black
American
world
champion
losing
to
a
white
South
African,
had
prepared
better
than
ever
before.
Coetzee,
a
5-to-1
underdog,
stunned
the
boxing
world
when
he
knocked
out
Dokes
with
two
seconds
remaining
in
the
tenth
round
at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio.
Coetzee,
the
aggressor
throughout,
dropped
Dokes
with
a
right
hook
in
the
fifth
round
and
remained
in
control.
He
appeared
to
tire
in
the
tenth
before
landing
a
crashing
right
to
the
side
of
Dokes’s
head
to
score
a
sensational
win.
It
was
reported
that
Coetzee
earned
$250
000 and Dokes $750 000.
However,
before
Coetzee's
triumph
he
had
to
negotiate
a
minefield
of
controversy.
His
relationship
with
promoter
Don
King
led
to
accusations
that
King
was
building
up
a
monopoly and exploited fighters.
The
New
York
Village
Voice
newspaper
alleged
that
King
was
rigging
the
WBA
ratings
and
paying
boxers
less
than
stipulated
in
their
contracts.
The
New
York
Times
said
Coetzee’s
American
helper,
Jackie
McCoy,
had screaming run-ins with Flip Coetzee.
The
controversy
over
television
rights
was
settled
only
when
the
SABC
agreed
to
pay
R75 000 to show the fight in South Africa.
There
were
also
reports
that
Dokes
had
denied rumours that he used cocaine.
Protracted
negotiations
took
place
for
Coetzee
to
fight
Larry
Holmes,
the
WBC
champion,
in
a
unification
match
in
Las
Vegas
on
July
8,
1984.
The
plans
were
abandoned
because of contractual problems.
THE SHORT REIGNS ENDS
Coetzee’s
reign
as
WBA
champion
was
short.
Amid
more
controversy,
he
lost
to
Greg
Page
in
his
first
defence
on
December
1,
1984
at
Sun City.
Ticket
prices
for
the
fight
were
at
an
all-time
high
for
South
Africa
–
a
minimum
of
R100,
and R450 for ringside seats.
Page,
rated
No
6
by
the
WBA,
arrived
in
Johannesburg
eight
days
earlier
than
scheduled
to
prevent
efforts
by
the
US
anti-
apartheid lobby to block his visit.
Coetzee
was
the
overwhelming
favourite.
Most
critics
predicted
a
win
inside
the
distance
and
Coetzee
was
the
betting
favourite at 10 to 1.
However,
the
champion
was
knocked
out
in
a
sensational finish in the eighth round.
A
major
row
erupted
over
the
duration
of
the
last round. The pay-off punches from Page
came
at
a
time
when
his
manager,
Janks
Morton,
was
shouting
to
the
time-keeper
that
the round was over.
Coetzee
had
been
down
for
the
first
time
after
the
bell
in
the
sixth
round
when
Page
caught
him
with
a
right
that
saw
him
sink
to
his
knees.
In
the
seventh
round,
a
barrage
of
punches
put
the
South
African
down
for
the
mandatory
eight count.
Towards
the
end
of
the
eighth,
Coetzee
was
beginning
to
outbox
the
challenger.
Then
Page
landed
a
left
hook
to
the
jaw
that
left
Coetzee
flat
on
his
back
–
3
minute
50
seconds after the start of the round.
The
Coetzee
camp
claimed
that
the
knockout
was
illegal
and
appealed
to
the
WBA
to
have
the
result
nullified.
However,
the
appeal
was
turned down.
Despite
the
controversy,
Page
was
a
worthy
winner.
After
a
break
of
nine
months,
Coetzee,
then
30,
returned.
He
weighed
105,
6
kg
and
failed
to
impress
in
scoring
a
10-rounds
unanimous
points
decision
over
unranked
American
James Tillis.
Next
up
was
a
WBA
heavyweight
title
final
eliminator
against
Britain’s
24-year-old
Frank
Bruno
in
London.
It
ended
in
disaster
for
Coezee
who
was
knocked
out
after
1
minute
50 seconds of the opening round.
Boxing
News
editor
Harry
Mullan
wrote:”Coetzee
was
a
big
disappointment.
He
looked
podgy,
tense,
and
apprehensive,
and
made
no
attempt
to
fight
back
when
Bruno
hurt
him.
It
was
hard
to
believe
that
this
was
the
same
man
who,
in
three
of
his
last
four
fights,
had
faced
men
who
were
or
became
world heavyweight champion.”
It
was
an
inglorious
end
to
a
distinguished
career.
Soon
afterwards
Coetzee
announced
his
retirement.
He
became
a
promoter
and
moved to America with his family.
In
August
1993,
he
decided
to
make
a
comeback
and
knocked
out
Dave
Fiddler
in
two
rounds.
In
October
the
same
year,
he
stopped
West
Turner
in
the
fifth
when
Turner
was badly cut on the forehead.
Once
again,
Coetzee
retired.
But
then
he
decided
to
have
another
go.
On
January
10,
1997,
he
met
journeyman
Dan
Kosmicki
in
Hollywood
and
won
by
way
of
a
third-round
knockout.
The
sad
part
of
boxing
is
when
fighters
go
on
too
long.
This
was
also
the
case
when
Coetzee,
at
the
age
of
42,
had
one
more
fight.
He
took
on
former
triple
world
champion
Iran
Barkley
on
June
8,
1997
for
the
synthetic
World Boxing Board heavyweight belt.
Boxing
World
magazine
wrote:
“Gerrie
Coetzee,
the
former
WBA
heavyweight
champion,
has
decided
to
hang
up
his
gloves
after
his
knockout
defeat
at
the
hands
of
Iran
Barkley
in
the
10th
round
in
Hollywood.
Coetzee had little choice.
The
California
State
Athletic
Commission
suspended
Coetzee
indefinitely
and
strongly
recommended that he retire from the ring.”
Few
imagined
that
an
overblown
light
heavyweight
such
as
Barkley
would
have
the
beating
of
Coetzee,
but
the
South
African’s
feared punching power was gone.
Coetzee
did
drop
Barkley
with
a
right
hook
in
the
second
round
but
by
the
eighth
both
were
exhausted.
Barkley
hurt
Coetzee
with
a
left
hook
in
the
tenth
and
jarred
him
with
a
right
but
referee
Robert
Byrd
stepped
in
and
stopped
the
fight
before Coetzee was seriously hurt.
Coetzee
finished
his
career
with
a
record
of
33-6-1 (21).
Coetzee
subsequently
returned
to
live
in
South Africa.
By: Ron Jackson