Golden Gloves

Flo “The Demolition Man” Simba will face his first overseas opponent on April 27 at Emperors Palace. A professional since 2009, the 20-year-old heavyweight has rattled off three knockout wins in as many bouts, but on Monday night he had the disappointment of seeing his opponent flee the arena an hour before they were scheduled to fight. “It’s become an undeniable problem getting Flo fights in this country” said Golden Gloves Promoter Rodney Berman, “and therefore GGP are focusing our attention on the international market. Consequently we’ll be importing a suitable opponent for our April 27 show”. A box-office magnet, Simba has taken the local fight scene by storm and Berman has already penciled in a bout for his burgeoning heavyweight ‘find’ in America during June/July. “Simba has attracted the attention of several promoters in the United States, given the reams of publicity that’s come his way” said Berman.

While the Demolition Man’s opponent for the April 27 bill has yet to be announced, Berman said that he’d been in close discussions with numerous people in America and Britain. “There is a wide field of prospective opponents to choose from and ideally I need to find him either a guy with relative experience or a trial-horse who can extend him beyond two or three rounds” added the CEO of GGP.

To date a brace of Simba’s opponents were halted in the opening round, while veteran contender Stephen Castle survived until the start of the fourth round.

“Flo hits with the power of a mule’s kick” said manager Brian Mitchell, “and I’m inclined to say there isn’t a heavyweight in the world capable of electrifying crowds the way he does”.

Berman, however, sounded a warning to his former world junior lightweight champion by saying, “Flo is still a comparative novice in professional boxing and though Brian is obviously delighted with his boxer’s level of talent, it’s important for him (Mitchell) to keep his feet firmly on the ground and concentrate on Simba honing his skills to perfection. In this respect Flo couldn’t have a better mentor than Harold Volbrecht, who’s the first to admit that his charge still has a long way to go before he’s the finished product. As things presently stand we hope to have Simba fight at least another five times this year”