Former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
THE BOKSBURG BOMBER
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Boxing - The night the Boksburg Bomber struck
by Ron Jackson | 02 May 2006 (13:19)
It
still
rates
as
one
of
the
supreme
moments
in
the
history
of
SA
sport;
the
night Gerrie Coetzee became heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
Boxing's
heavyweight
championship
has
always
been
considered
to
be
the
richest
prize in sport. And Coetzee once held at least a portion of that prize.
It
must
be
remembered,
too,
that
when
t
he
Boksburg
Bomber
won
the
WBA
title,
there
was
only
one
other
recognised
heavyweight
champion
-
Larry
Holmes,
who
held the WBC title.
Coetzee
stunned
the
boxing
world
when,
on
September
23,
1983
in
Cleveland,
Ohio,
he
knocked
out
Michael
Dokes
in
the
tenth
round.
That
made
him
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.
The
first
world
heavyweight
championship
contest
in
which
gloves
were
worn
was
held
on
September
7,
1892,
when
James
J
Corbett
knocked
out
John
L
Sullivan
in
21 rounds.
For
many
of
those
who
followed
him,
the
heavyweight
crown
did
not
bring
fame
and
fortune.
Primo
Carnera
was
cheated
out
of
his
winnings
by
gangsters;
Joe
Louis
had
trouble
with
the
taxman
and
became
addicted
to
drugs;
Ezzard
Charles
ended
up
in
a
wheelchair;
Sonny
Liston
died
in
mysterious
circumstances
and
Mike
Tyson
was convicted for rape and declared bankrupt.
And
"The
Greatest,"
Muhammad
Ali,
probably
carried
on
for
too
long
and
now
has
serious
health
problems.
It
must
be
said
that,
despite
his
stunning
victory
over
Dokes,
Coetzee
was
not
considered
to
be
the
best
heavyweight
in
the world. That honour belonged to the unbeaten Holmes, the WBC champion.
The
American
had
won
his
belt
in
June
1978
and
had
already
defended
it
15
times
when
Coetzee
rose
to
fame.
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.
Fighting for 50c
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,
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,Spinks, Tate and Weaver .
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
point
win
over
George
Chaplin.
He
then
lost
a
disputed
ten-rounds
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.
Cleveland,
Sept
23,
1983
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 reign 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.
An inglorious end
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 has returned to South Africa and settled on what used to be called the East Rand, his old stamping ground.