Another fight connoisseur who noted the Rosettenville fighter’s “daredevil approach” is two-time Hall of Famer Brian Mitchell. “Sure Bedeman has courage…lots of it, but he can’t turn every fight into a war, or his career will be very short lived” said Mitchell.

Local man-about-boxing Jeff Ellis agreed and pointed to Bedeman’s stance as a particularly worrying aspect. “Jason’s legs are too far apart and that’s why Mohammed dropped him with two left jabs. Being knocked down by a hook, uppercut or right hand is one thing, but a schooled boxer should not get floored by successive jabs…no way” said Ellis.

Trainer Manny Fernandes wasn’t in the country for Bedeman’s last fight, passing on the corner duties to Gert Strydom, yet after watching a video of the contest, told this writer, “I’m certainly not happy about that wide-legged stance and while I think he (Bedeman) went down more as the result of a slip the first time, his lack of balance accounted for the Ghanaian dropping him with a very hard jab for the second of those knockdowns.” Fernandes was, however, pleased with the manner in which Bedeman came out firing in the second round, plastering his rival with a relentless barrage of punches before the referee stopped the fight. “It’s a sign of his guts and the fiery intensity that he brings into every fight. Personally I feel it would be wrong for us to be overly critical of Jason’s performance, because he’s still a work in progress, but I do agree that he has to sharpen up his guards, especially when he faces a puncher, which Mohammed clearly was”.

And Golden Gloves Promoter Rodney Berman? “Bedeman has a knock-em-down, drag-em-out approach to the sport and naturally that will garner him accolades and truck loads of fans, but it certainly won’t help his longevity as a fighter. No doubt Fernandes will need to impress on him the need to tighten up his defence”

In confirming this, African Ring Promoter Jeff Ellis said; “We’ll have some of the most exciting fighters in Gauteng on the respective rosters, the second of which is a “Box & Dine”, and naturally they’ll be looking to shine in order to book a potential place on some of the other Golden Gloves Promotional tournaments scheduled for April 27 and June 18”

The March 29 bill is headlined by current WBA Pan Africa lightweight king Jason “Badman” Bedeman (11-0-2, 9 knockouts) who will meet an opponent yet to be announced over a slated six rounds. Then too, Grant “The Fireball” Fourie will feature on the fight card as a junior lightweight when he squares up to the uncompromising Joseph Modise over 6 heats. Having boxed as a lightweight in the past, Fourie –who is the nephew of the late, great  Pierre Fourie – has finally heeded the advice of several pundits who’ve advised him to drop down a weight division.

Also occupying a place on the March 29 bill, is local heavyweight sensation Flo “The Demolition Man” Simba, who takes on former “Baby Champ” winner Mongezi Nzamela over a projected six rounds. Unbeaten in three starts as a professional, Simba is fresh off his 4^th round stoppage win over Stephen Castle and will be looking to make it four-in-a-row before appearing on an American televized fight card in April.

Other bouts on the bill include a quartet of 4-round preliminaries that sees Sylvester Zaki meet Mitus Diseko (middleweight), Ray Bloom fight Wensley Buys (catchweight 60 kg), Cebo Ngema take on Morne Bothma (bantamweight) and Christiaan Visser mix it up with Prince Ndlovu in the featherweight ranks.

On March 30, however, the focus will shift to a national championship bout in which Rupert Van Aswegen aims his sights on winning the vacant SA light heavyweight crown against Balemo Weliya over 12 rounds. Nephew to former WBA world heavyweight champion Gerrie Coetzee, the slick boxing Van Aswegen is arguably at his peak as a fighter and must start as favourite ahead of this alluring battle.

The undercard is strongly supported by heavyweight Basil Ray, who fights Nsitu Mbaya over 6 rounds, while preliminary action hosts the likes of Rudi Bruwer VS Jerry Tlhoaela (4 rounds-light heavyweight), Bongani Dlamini VS Nicholas Modiberg (6-rounds:lightweight), Joey Stiglingh VS Amon Nhlapo (4-rounds:junior lightweight) and Ashley Dlamini Vs Johannes Nthontho (4-rounds: junior featherweight).

“Both Golden Gloves Promotions and the IBO have recommended that a rematch take place in order for the result of this razor-sharp rivalry to be free of contention” added Berman “Not that we are questioning the credibility of the three judges at ringside, but since they were all South Africans, and the contest was fought at such a sizzling pace, it was perhaps understandable that there would be allegations of hometown bias. Certainly the IBO have a highly respected presence on the international stage and we concur with Mr Levine that a champion’s standing should be beyond dispute. As such, and given the controversy of their first fight, a return contest will be in the best interests of the sport and I’m sure that both Budler and Rubillar are champing-at-the-bit to underline their dominance in a rematch” said Berman. “I know for a fact that Budler himself would like nothing more than being granted the opportunity to reinforce his status as the new world champion, as this would considerably benefit his reputation”.

The CEO of GGP stressed the fact that two of the three judges for the June 18 contest would be Americans, and this despite the fact that the IBO supervisor for the first fight as well as the referee confirmed that the decision in Budler’s favour was indeed justifiable. “Transparency is a vital part of professional boxing and while it’s as yet unclear which officials the IBO will appoint for the rematch, GGP shall unreservedly support their decision” concluded Berman.

A definite candidate for South Africa’s “Fight of the Year” for 2010, the Budler/Rubillar bout was a humdinger from start to finish and there’s every reason to believe that their return meeting will be another splintering fight that again goes down to the wire!

*Meanwhile following the reprehensible conduct of one particular female supporter at the last tournament, Berman has openly announced that this person will be identified and banned from attending future Golden Gloves events. “It has been said that the woman in question is a Tommy Oosthuizen fan, but since Tommy has distanced himself from all racist and foul-mouthed spectators, we’ll naturally be on the lookout for her at our April 27 tournament when next Oosthuizen fights and will instantly remove her from the venue if she’s there” confirmed Berman.

When listing your Top 3, remember to say why you chose that particular boxer, eg; punching power, skill, tenacity, achievements, cleverness etc.

Clearly this is a very hypothetical issue, but since everyone has his or her personal favourites, we at GGP felt it expedient to sound out our boxing loyalists and see what type of response we receive.

Naturally the consensus of opinion in no way represents anything more than an interesting topic of debate, but since this website is normally full of lively comments from fight fans all over the country, as well as a few abroad, we’re very interested to hear your views…so go for it!

“Budler is an extraordinary young fighter, with mountains of courage” said Berman, “but he definitely needs to toughen up his physique before he can compete against some of the leading lights in the junior flyweight division”.

While Berman is mindful of the fact that Budler is still a blooming starlet with his whole career ahead of him, he pulled no punches when assessing the mechanics of the Newlands boxer’s triumph. “Look, that bout could have gone either way, it was that close. But while I concede that Hekkie’s work in the first six rounds and subsequent surge near the end were enough to carry him to victory, those body shots of Rubillar’s really hurt him. Yes, he bravely weathered the storm and rallied his resources to win the decision, but nevertheless, one has to be practical in terms of Budler’s overall growth and visible weaknesses” said Berman.

In this respect, Berman believes that Budler will need weight and strength training in order to “harden what is still a very young body”, and as a result may even have to fight in a heavier weight division.

“Make no mistake, Budler won’t remain a junior flyweight, and while weight training is frowned upon by certain trainers, it was clearly evident that Budler’s hasn’t physically developed yet. Moreover, he will need to have the necessary muscle to handle lively infighters who are strong at the weight. For me, Hekkie is a veritable buzzsaw in action but there are unquestionably things that need to be rectified if he’s to realize his immense potential”.

That Budler will feature on the Emperors Palace/Golden Gloves Promotions June 18 “BLOCKBUSTER” event is as yet uncertain, as Berman is painstakingly assembling his options and together with US business associate Art Pellulo of Banner Promotions, has been formulating the right product mix for a tournament of such magnitude.

“The June extravaganza has to be an elitist event” said Berman, “and as such Art and I are hard at working compiling the most likely fight card to compliment what figures to be a heady month in South Africa’s history”.

One of Golden Gloves Promoter Rodney Berman’s most vibrant attractions at present, Oosthuizen has already won three championship titles and GGP are courting the idea of having him fight for a bonafide world title either later this year or during the early part of 2011. “It’s all a matter of timing” said GGP CEO Berman. “Some guys develop a lot quicker than others and in Tommy’s case the rate of improvement has been very good indeed. We’ll be watching his progress very carefully over the next few months and there is every chance that he could feature on our June 18 blockbuster event at Emperors Palace”.

At 21 years of age, the lanky Oosthuizen previously captured the IBO Youth world light heavyweight, IBO Youth world super middleweight and WBA Pan African super middleweight belts and its no secret that trainer Harold Volbrecht rates him as the finest raw talent he’s ever worked with.

“Tommy is a helluva boxer who just happens to hit like applejack and I’ve no doubt that given his durability, composure and handspeed, he’ll go on to lift world honours when the opportunity presents itself”.

Nevertheless, two fighters; Ali Funeka (SA) and Joan Guzman (USA) will first be fighting for the vacant IBF lightweight crown and the Berman-Pellulo plan is to have Kim by then elevated into a lofty spot on the rankings in order to challenge the winner of that fight.

“We intend to have Kim win the IBF title” said Pellulo, during his trip to South Africa on the weekend, “and both Rodney and I feel that he’ll have the beating of Diaz on May 21 in Texas. After that we’ll be pressing Kim’s claim to a crack at the title and it really doesn’t bother us whether he fights Funeka or Guzman, we’re that confident”.

At present the No 1 and No 2 berths in the IBF rankings are vacant, while Funeka and Guzman occupy the next contender spots.

Meanwhile, Berman announced that two South Africans; Flo “The Demolition Man” Simba (3-0, 3 knockouts) and Sipho “Tsunami” Taliwe (10-2, 9 knockouts) will be fighting on the Laredo undercard. “Flo has been a sensational newcomer to the national heavyweight ranks and Taliwe is the reigning SA junior lightweight champion” said Berman.

Naturally everyone expected Berman to feature his blossoming heavyweight tiger in the USA during the next few months, especially after his business associate Art Pellulo enthused over Simba’s potential, yet the inclusion of Taliwe may cause more than a few eyebrows to be raised.

Berman explained; “Taliwe’s trainer Bernie Pailman has never received his just dues and I feel that the time has come to afford him a great deal more recognition. As such we’re giving his boxer Taliwe the opportunity to garner some overdue applause by fighting on an ESPN bill that will be seen in many States in America”.

“Moreover, GGP abhors and strongly condemns that type of reprehensible behaviour and we shall take steps to ensure that people who cannot or will not behave themselves at our tournaments face legal action in the future”.

That the foul-mouthed woman in question was laughingly supported by numerous other people in the audience is especially intolerable and Berman has promised to eradicate these so called “fans” from GGP tournaments.

“There is no place for racist elements at our events and I want to send out a very powerful message in this respect” concluded Berman.

That the woman in question happened to be hysterically supporting WBA Pan African super middleweight champion Tommy Oosthuizen is regrettable, particularly since Oosthuizen himself is a decent young man, free of such racist malice. Indeed, Oosthuizen personally contacted the Sowetan newspaper in order to apologize for the behaviour of unruly fans who happened to be screaming for him to “m…” his opponent from Ghana, Thomas Owinbono.

Berman was sympathetic in this respect and concluded by saying; “It’s sad that the boxer gets associated with the antics of certain fans but Tommy has assured me that he distances himself from the disgraceful incident and I can only hope that we never have a repeat of what happened last Saturday night”.

As one of the world’s greatest referees of all time, Christodoulou’s opinion is highly valued by the WBA (World Boxing association), a sanctioning organization he’s had a splendid working relationship with over a long period of time, and given the magnitude of the Golden Gloves Promotions/Emperors Palace fistic “showpiece” on June 18, which will coincide with the FIFA World Cup, it figures that a WBA world title event would register bingo at South Africa’s ‘Mecca of Boxing’.

“Make no mistake, as the current WBA Intercontinental champion, Munyai is highly thought of abroad and I feel supremely confident that he poses an undeniable threat to Moreno (28-1-1) or Cermeno (19-0), both of whom are outstanding talents” concluded Christodoulou.

Golden Gloves Promoter Rodney Berman agrees. “Stan would never recommend a fighter if he thinks that athlete would be out of his depth and I’m delighted that Munyai performed so brilliantly on the night”said Berman.

Clearly the Moreno/Cermeno championship contest looks like being a ding-dong affair and no doubt both Berman and Christodoulou will be keenly monitoring the strengths of both warriors in the build-up to the fight.

“Fighters like Munyai come along once in a decade, what with his sublime skills, razor-sharp jab and incisive counter punching” added Berman, who even now is busy compiling the likely product mix for the June 18 extravaganza.

That the CEO of GGP has a tantalizing resume of boxers from which to choose, is an ascertained fact and the likes of WBA Pan African super middleweight champion Tommy “Tommy Gun” Oosthuizen; whom Christodoulou rates as one of this country’s most exciting young talents, IBO world junior flyweight champion Hekkie “The Hex-ecutioner” Budler, WBA Pan African lightweight boss Jason “Badman” Bedeman, WBC Intercontinental light heavyweight monarch Isaac “The Golden Boy” Chilembe and IBO world welterweight ruler Lovemore Ndou will all be in the running for a place on the bill.

For now, however, the “Atomic Spider” can be reasonably assured that he has a date with destiny on June 18 at the ‘Palace of Dreams’.

Indeed, after seeing the 20-year-old Simba stop Stephen Castle in the fourth round of their bout at Emperors Palace on Saturday night, the hard-talking Pellulo could not hide his excitement. “Man, this kid has talent” enthused the boss of Banner Promotions. “And I’ve been told that he only had six amateur fights before turning professional” said Pellulo.

Accustomed as he is to seeing rainbows that fade, Pellulo -whose the business associate of Golden Gloves Promoter Rodney Berman – added; “Given Simba’s age, power, talent and size, I fully expect to see him develop into a powerful 97 kg heavyweight who will set the international scene alight, especially in an age when the division has lost a lot of it’s vibrancy”.

Golden Gloves Promoter rodney Berman was quick to concur. “Yes, Simba is an unusually exciting ‘find’ and we intend to market him extremely judiciously over the next two years, with extensive exposure in the United States. Naturally, because of his academic studies, Simba won’t be able to campaign for lengthy period abroad, but he will certainly feature on a number of overseas bills during the next eight months”.

An amiable and articulate personality with the looks of a film star, Simba has literally taken the local boxing scene by storm and his trainer Harold Volbrecht struggles to suppress his entusiasm when discussing the university student’s potential.

“Flo is one of the most marketable boxers I’ve ever trainer” said the Hammer, and we’ll work exceptionally hard over the next six months to hone his skills to perfection”.