It was all or nothing for some of Tzaneen’s boxers when they travelled to Nkowankowa this weekend to square off in a Mopani District championship round. On Saturday, the 12th of March, a very well-known local sports star from Champ’s Boxing Academy, stepped into the ring for his second fight after having gloved up only a year earlier.
Ruan Hanaczeck-Kruger, the fastest young man in any Limpopo swimming pool, climbed into the ring to fight Tebogo Mogale, an experienced fighter from the Namakgale Boxing Club. This district championship served as a qualification round for the Limpopo Championships, scheduled for the 7th of May in Malemulele.
Despite having no experience against ranked fighters and despite having only one fight under his belt, Hanaczeck-Kruger snubbed his nose and competed in the Light Heavyweight Elite division.
“Ruan is a natural and very versatile sportsman,” said coach Gerhard ‘Soutie’ Rossouw. “He has that big match temperament which stems from years of competing at a very high level in other sports such as swimming. His lack of experience is currently hampering his progress, but he has the potential to become a recognized competitive boxer.”
Rossouw further said that his young boxer might be biting off a little more than he can chew at this early stage in his career, but that would not deter him in the slightest and he has made it clear that he wants to take on the established fighters instead of taking the long route through the bottom ranks.
“I warned him before hand that suffering successive losses or being knocked out might dampen his confidence but this young man is extremely driven and won’t let anything, or anyone deter him from achieving his goals.
For him, this appears to be more a way to accelerate his learning by facing experienced opponents rather than starting off with the newcomers, rather than winning. This kid is tough!”
Even though he lost the fight on points in the end, his performance was still good enough for him to qualify for the Limpopo Championships where he will again face off against more experienced opponents in his bid to lay claim to yet another sporting code.
Champ’s Boxing Academy also has three other members who qualified to attend the championships in May. Gerhard Rossouw as coach and judges Michelle Heydra and Shaun Theron will also make their way to Malemulele.
Rossouw currently has 11 boxers who have shown a keen interest in boxing and will have their first outing in the ring on the 28th of May when Champ’s Boxing Academy plans to host a tournament.
For many years Tzaneen has been starved of boxing bouts which is why Rossouw established the academy last year. He runs the academy from one of the halls at the Tzaneen showgrounds.
From there, Rossouw offers Boxercise classes to anyone wanting a new way of getting into shape. It is a newish form of exercise which has taken the global fitness community by storm and has already seen its numbers grow in the last few months.
Champ’s Boxing Academy is hosting a training session on Saturday, the 19th of March (tomorrow) from 08:00 until about 13:00. Contact coach Gerhard Rossouw on 062 873 7252 or email him at champstzn@gmail.com
Champ’s Boxing Academy would like to thank its sponsors and other supporters in helping them become an established sports entity in Tzaneen; KM Bolt, Far North Bulletin, Northern Security Tzaneen, Smit & Kie and Bricks@Tzaneen.
