Golden Gloves

In an exciting twist for Tommy “Gun” Oosthuizen, promoters Rodney Berman and Lou Di Bella have pulled him off the February 11 card in the United States in favour of topping a ShoBox bill, also in the US, in April.

While there was delight that Oosthuizen would feature on the undercard of the Victor Ortiz-Andre Berto rematch next month, the truth is that he will now receive greater exposure in topping a big bill himself.

Shobox (The New Generation), a spinoff of Showtime’s successful World Championship Boxing show, focuses primarily on fast-rising prospects and is broadly seen as a big step-up by boxing experts. The phrase “ShoBox fighter” originated in the show and has come to define a quality prospect primed for tough competition.

“We had the choice and after discussing it with Lou, who is hot for Tommy, decided that ShoBox is the way to go, especially as it showcases fighters the calibre of Tommy,” said Berman. “This also gives him more time to prepare and put on a first-rate showing.”

Di Bella further assured Berman that Oosthuizen is a big part of their plans and 2012 would be a big year for him.

“I’ve told Tommy and (trainer) Harold Volbrecht. They understand completely, although Tommy is itching to fight again.”

Meanwhile, Berman will announce plans for his March 3 tournament at Emperors Palace in a fortnight.
“I’m energised from my holiday and looking forward to a great year,” he said.