Edenvale boxers shine and stumble at Emperors Palace fight night

The Citizen

6 hours ago

It was a boxing bonanza as fighters from Edenvale recently stepped into the ring at Emperors Palace.
Three local fighters competed in The Coronation Box and Dine Tournament, held at the Centre Court on May 31, delivering a night filled with both triumph and heartbreak.
Headlining the event was Primrose resident Shervantaigh Koopman, who trains out of the Edenvale-based Brian Mitchell Boxing Academy.
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Koopman, who entered the ring with a 15-fight unbeaten streak, had his world title hopes dashed after a tough loss to Portugal's Uisma 'Monster' Lima, the defending IBO Super Welterweight champion.
Lima, born in Angola, came out aggressively in the opening round. It took Koopman several rounds to adjust to the champion's unrelenting pressure.
Though Koopman appeared to be gaining ground in the third and fourth rounds, Lima's intensity didn't wane.
By the fifth round, the crowd began to understand why the Monster had defeated his previous three unbeaten opponents.
The decisive moment came in the ninth round when Lima landed a vicious left hook that sent Koopman to the canvas.
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Though he bravely got back to his feet, another punishing left prompted Koopman's corner to throw in the towel—ending his unbeaten streak at 15 fights.
Despite the setback, Koopman and his team are expected to regroup, re-strategize, and return stronger in the near future.
Kuse overcomes early knockdown to secure victory
In the undercard event, South African and ABU Strawweight champion Siyakholwa 'One Way' Kuse, also from the Brian Mitchell Boxing Academy, faced the experienced Samuel Salva of the Philippines in an international minimumweight bout.
Salva shocked the crowd by dropping Kuse in the first round with a furious opening attack.
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However, Kuse beat the count and used his full skillset to weather the storm. As the rounds progressed, he found his rhythm and steadily turned the tide.
By the later rounds, Kuse was in full control. In the ninth, he returned the favor by sending Salva to the canvas.
Although Salva beat the count and completed all 10 rounds, Kuse had done enough to earn a unanimous decision victory, with the judges scoring the bout 97–91, 95–94, and 97–92.
In the opening bout of the evening, fellow Edenvale fighter Tyla Promnick remained unbeaten after dominating debutant Zanele Masilela of eMalahleni in a strawweight contest.
Promnick, trained by Alan Toweel at the Alan Toweel Boxing Gym in Linden, dropped Masilela three times in the opening round.
She continued the onslaught in the second, forcing Masilela's corner to throw in the towel just 57 seconds into the round, giving Promnick a TKO victory in the fight, which was scheduled for four rounds.
Promnick now boasts an impressive record of 3–0.
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