WBA heavyweight belt holder Gerrie Coetzee passed away last Thursday, aged 67, a week after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
The ‘Boksburg bomber’ has many things: a ‘world’ champion who says he fought his last serious fight, an anti-racist who claims to worship the black boxers he loves He promotes but also threatens them, a sly wheeler who is good at playing the village fool, a soft-spoken man with a high voice and can behave like a thug.
Gerrie’s greatest moment came in Richfield, Minnesota on September 23, 1983, when he dropped to 215 lbs and knocked out Michael Dokes in 10th place.order to win the WBA title.
It was the culmination of a career that promised more than it delivered. Gerrie comes from a large, working-class family, some of whom have a reputation for being ‘not good’. He carries this within him but often goes above it, qualifying as a dentist and excelling as a 6.3½ tall amateur champion with an 81-inch reach.
When he turned pro in 1974, they pitted the 19-year-old against former national champion Chris Roos, whom he easily overcame. Within two years, he had won the South African title and beat his top local rivals, Mike Schutte in a foul-mouthed brawl, and Kallie Knoetze. But his right hand was constantly broken and had to be reconstructed with metal plates, earning him the nickname ‘man with biological rights’.
He won 21-0 knocking out Leon Spinks in a round in Monaco in 1979, knocking him out three times in two minutes. This earned him his first ‘world’ WBA title (which defied South Africa’s sports boycott). Coetzee, a lazy trainer, ran out of breath and was overtaken by John Tate over 15 rounds. A year later, he had his second hit against Mike Weaver and seemed well on his way to winning until, completely exhausted, he was knocked out in the 13th round.order.
Gerrie is sent to the United States and defeats Renaldo Snipes, dropping him twice, only to become a split decision loser. A draw with Pinklon Thomas netted him a Dokes shot.
He was due to unify the title with real world champion, Larry Holmes, but the match was canceled when financial support evaporated. Instead, after 15 months of inactivity, he defended against Greg Page at Sun City. Depression, a bout of venereal disease and new hand troubles have undermined his confidence. Then he told me, “Things didn’t go as planned and I wasn’t in the best shape. Before the game, I drank a glass of brandy and coke because I felt this was the end of my reign.”
Gerrie’s corner ignored the second half bell and Page threw two punches while he was still on the stool. After the bell rang at the end of the sixth half, Trang took another free-kick, knocking him out. Then, in round 8, the timer forgot his job and Coetzee was knocked out in the 3rd minute and 50 seconds of the round.
He went back to beat James “Quick” Tillis and was offered to remove Frank Bruno but he broke his arm in practice. Then he told me and the others that he went to war, letting a family member bet on a first-round loss that happened in March 1986. Like Frans Botha, who used to be. sponsored by him, recalls: “He was very proud of that. He said he laughed in the dressing room afterwards. He thought it was a big joke.
Coetzee reinvented himself as a promoter of black boxers who trusted him because he opposed racism. One was Dingaan Thobela, who told me that when he refused to renew their contract the night before his first WBA lightweight title defense, Gerrie “threatened to hit me” and when he He still refused, the heavyweight boxer assaulted him. Botha also said Coetzee threatened and then attacked him “and we had a horrible fight, leaving Gerrie lying there, covered in blood”.
In 1992 when I was a boxing reporter for Sunday Times Gerrie called me. “I will buy you a new car in exchange for favors. You have to agree to write a story about my boxer every week but not mention it to anyone.” I declined, reported it to my editor, but it took two more rejections of bribes before he got the message.
He briefly came back at 38 and again at 42, but after three wins, the overweight Coetzee was knocked out by former Iranian middleweight boxer Barkley in 1997.
At the time of his death, a film about his life was being produced in South Africa.
Gerrie Coetzee, April 8, 1955, died January 12, 2023. He left behind a wife, Rina, a son, two daughters, and seven grandchildren.
COETZEE’s AMAZING
Review of five of Gerrie’s best professional outings
1. compared to MICHAEL DOKES
The bookies, who had placed the then-undefeated Dokes as the favorite 5/1, were clearly unaware of the WBA belt holder’s burgeoning cocaine addiction. Despite that, when Coetzee defeated Dokes in round 10order in September 1983, it was considered a huge disappointment at the time. Coetzee, fighting 10 miles from Dokes’ hometown of Akron, is pristine and in great mood. Even a clean and focused Dokes struggles with Coetzee in this form.
2. vs. LEON CAIR
Roundaboutly, Gerrie Coetzee was responsible for Muhammad Ali’s win over Leon Spinks, losing a lot of his luster when the South African knocked out Spinks in the first round after that famous rematch. Spinks, eager to impress, swung while Coetzee crouched and waited for an opportunity to return fire. He didn’t have to wait long. A messy right hand dropped Spinks on the first of three takedowns. The time of the June 1979 cease-fire was only 2-03.
3. vs PINKLON THOMAS
Gerrie’s ten-round draw with Thomas in 1983 is perhaps the most laudable reflection of Coetzee’s ability. Still, it’s another nod to his lackluster tendency towards the end of business competitions. Coetzee seemed to have taken a solid lead for the first five innings, only for Thomas to come back strong and secure a draw – a fair result – during their hectic 10 innings. Coetzee was not helped by a deep cut, the result of a right-hand stroke from Thomas, above his left eye in the eighth inning.
4. compared to RENALDO SNIPES
The ring was filled with popcorn, ice cubes and anything else fans could get their hands on inside New Westcenter City Hall in Tarrytown, NY, as Snipes was declared the winner by the split decision after 10 rounds. fight. Coetzee scored kills in the first and fourth quarters, and knocked out Snipes in the final. America’s NBC network later claimed that its switchboard was stuck because viewers called to complain about the ruling. If the umpires applied New York’s rule, used at the discretion of the officials, about adding points to knockdowns, then Coetzee won.
5. vs KALLIE KNOETZE
While Coetzee’s last meaningful win over James Tillis was still useful in 1985, an early win over Kallie Knoetze was arguably more impressive. While on the upswing, and two skirmishes after knocking out Ron Stander in the eighth round, Coetzee won a decidedly tough 10th round against future opponent, Knoetze in October 1976. split six rounds, winning three each, while the amateurs and Coetzee made their way through their solitary encounter in the professional ranks. It triggered an 11-game winning streak for Knoetze, including wins over Duane Bobick and Richard Dunn.
