Golden Gloves

Accustomed as this writer is to rainbows that fade, I found it highly illuminating to hear two-time Hall of Famer Brian Mitchell proclaim Flo “The Demolition Man” Simba (2-0, both 1^st round knockouts) as the “potentially greatest heavyweight in the history of South African boxing”. Yet Mitchell, who manages the 20-year-old Simba isn’t know for his flattery and as international boxing’s most renowned “Road Warrior” he has certainly seen enough fighters to know the difference between an average pugilist and a glittering ‘find’.

“Talk about a diamond in the rough” quipped Mitchell. “Simba is one of the those fighters who send ripples up my spine and given the fact that he only had half-a-dozen amateur bouts before turning professional, his rate of growth –both in stature and physical proportion –has been astounding”.

A university student, Simba lives in South Hills, which historically has proved to be one of the toughest areas of the Southern Suburbs. Yet this soft-spoken son of a medical doctor is a cultured, well-mannered young man who until eighteen months ago was looking at becoming a basketball player.

“Then he wandered into Aubrey Lovett’s amateur boxing gymnasium and his life took a 180% turn” said Mitchell, who first spotted Simba’s talent when the young novice defeated the SA amateur champion.

“In my book this kid (Simba) has all the necessary attributes to go right to the top” said Mitchell. “He has chilling knockout power in both hands, boxes really well, has a dependable defence and takes a helluva punch on the whiskers. Then too, he has courage and has been blessed with an excellent brain which will see him progress accordingly”.

Mind you, Mitchell isn’t the only person to be awed by Simba’s talent. Man-about-boxing Jeff Ellis regards the “Demolition Man” as one of the smoothest predators in the business and a fighter who will blossom into a bona fide 95 kg heavyweight.

“Right now he’s more of a cruiserweight but the same was true of Gerrie Coetzee and Pierre Coetzer when they were his age” said Ellis. “Yes, I agree with Brian, this guy is an absolutely brilliant young talent and quite possibly the finest raw heavyweight prospect we’ve ever seen in this country”.

Former SA super middleweight champion Andre Thysse has sparred with Simba and feels that he’s one of the hardest shot-for-shot hitters in the game. “When the guy hits you with his right hand it feels like your hair is leaving your head” said Thysse.

Simba will have his third outing in the professional ranks on February 27 at Emperors Palace.