Golden Gloves

Ji Hoon Kim (21-5-0, with 18 knockouts) will probably fight the unbeaten Jason “Badman” Bedeman (12-0-2, with 10 knockouts) in South Africa early next year. That is if the brutal hitting South Korean succeeds in beating the rough-and-tough  Miguel Vasquez (25-3-0, with 12 knockouts) of Mexico, to win the vacant IBF world lightweight title in Laredo, Texas this coming weekend. So says Golden Gloves Promotions CEO Rodney Berman, who is in America to attend what promises to be an explosive, action-packed fight.

“Kim, who is known as the ‘Volcano’, is co-promoted by GGP and our American business associate Art Pellulo and since he (Kim) initially captured the headlines by lifting the IBO world lightweight title in South Africa during 2009, it figures that he regards this country as something of a happy hunting ground. I’ve spoken to both Art and Kim’s management team and providing the  23-year-old Volcano wins his championship bout against Vasquez in Laredo, the prospects of him defending the IBF crown against Bedeman in 2011 in South Africa are excellent” said Berman.

An incredibly resilient fighter who wears his heart on his sleeve, Kim is a marauder like Bedeman, who for his part has already captured both the IBO & WBA Africa lightweight titles.

“Kim versus Bedeman would be a pier-six fight with no quarter sought and none given and we’d probably sell out Emperors Palace’s Centre Court Arena a month before the fight actually takes place” said Berman. “Clearly neither of these belligerent fighters could ever be accused of being scientific boxers”.

Meanwhile GGP’s IBO world junior flyweight champion Hekkie “The Hexecutioner” Budler (16-0, with 5 knockouts) is supremely confident ahead of his non-title 10-round bout against Mexico’s Evaristo Primero on the undercard of the Kim versus Vasquez championship contest. “Hekkie realises only too well that he’s in for a torrid test this coming weekend, especially since Primero has previously swapped punches with some of the blue ribbon performers in two weight divisions” said Berman. Then too, Primero has held the WBC Continental Americas flyweight crown and has fought the likes of Johnny Tapia, Raul Martinez, Rafael Marquez and Mauricio Pastrana to mention but a few” concluded Berman, who is presently in San Francisco before flying to Texas on Thursday for talks with his partner Art Pellulo.