Golden Gloves

As 2009 winds to a close, Golden Gloves Promotions can realistically review the past eleven months as one of the Consortiums most successful stretches in years. Indeed not only did several fighters cap a brilliant year in terms of their achievements but also made sizable strides on the international stage.

Analytically assessed, Tommy “Tommy Gun” Oosthuizen (9-0) won three championship belts; namely the IBO Youth world light heavyweight, IBO Youth world super middleweight titles and WBA Pan African titles in a three-month span between July and October respectively!

Isaac “The Golden Boy” Chilembe (14-1) added to his status as an ABU super middleweight titleholder by lifting both the WBO Africa and WBC International light heavyweight titles; in June and October respectively.

That Oosthuizen and Chilembe have now each won three individual titles says much for their scope as future superstars, not forgetting Hekkie “The Hex-ecutioner” Budler (13-0) who won the vacant IBO All Africa junior flyweight crown in April this year.

The youngest of our crop of championship winners was, however, Jason “Badman” Bedeman (9-0-2), who at the age of 20 defeated Grant Fourie to win the vacant IBO Africa lightweight title in September.

Transplanted South African ring warrior Lovemore Ndou journeyed from Australia to  South Africa, to claim his second world title when he defeated Phillip Ndou at Emperors Palace for the vacant IBO world welterweight championship in July and he subsequently defended the title in England against Matthew Hatton.
Abroad, Golden Gloves Promotional interests were admirably served in conjunction with American business associate Art Pellulo of Banner Promotions, who judiciously furthered the attainments of current IBF featherweight champion Cristobal Cruz (39-11-1) and the IBF leading contender and current IBF Latin featherweight champion Fernando Beltran (33-3-1).
Cruz (32) successfully defended the IBF featherweight title twice in 2009, beating Cyril Thomas and Jorge Solis, while Beltran won the vacant IBF Latin featherweight crown and then posted a successful title defence.

On the home-front, one of the most pleasing aspects of 2009 was the respective ages of our championship winners; Oosthuizen (21), Chilembe (22), Budler (21) and Bedeman (20).
The phlegmatic Lovemore Ndou at age 37, once again defied the calendar en route to claiming his second world championship strap.
“It’s truly an exhilarating feeling knowing that there are so many flourishing talents in South Africa at present” said Golden Gloves CEO Rodney Berman, whose announced that Hekkie Budler will now pursue the IBO world junior flyweight crown, against a highly rated WBC championship contender, and Tommy Oosthuizen will be gunning for the WBA Youth world super middleweight throne. Meanwhile Isaac Chilembe will be fighting in the United States in March, under the auspices of Banner Promotions, and there will be an exciting opportunity for Jason Bedeman to enhance his meteoric rise in popularity when he fights at Emperors Palace in March.