In exciting toe-to-toe action throughout, South Africa’s Roarke Knapp won on a 10-round unanimous points decision over the more experienced Frenchman Ahmed El Mousaoui in a junior middleweight contest at Emperors Palace near Kempton Park on Saturday night.
Judges Thando Xamlashe and Jaap van Niewenhuizen scored it 96-94 and 98-93, with judge Tony Nyangiwe scoring it 99-91.
Both fighters came out at the opening bell throwing combination lefts and rights to the head and body, and it was possibly an even round.
This was the pattern of the fight in rounds two, three and four, with the 24-year-old Knapp (69.80kg) edging it with furious action against the more experienced El Mousaoui (69.45kg).
The closely-fought action continued throughout the fight, only slowing down slightly from the eighth round, with Knapp just having the edge to take a popular win.
Credit must go to the 32-year-old El Mousaoui, who came to fight but was warned on a couple of occasions in the later rounds by referee David Niewenhuizen for holding.
Knapp improved his record to 16-1-1; 11 and El Mousaoui’s record dropped to 34-5-1; 8.
KOOPMAN RETAINS SA TITLE
In a workman-like performance, South African junior middleweight champion Shervantaigh Koopman (69.55kg) retained his title for the first time when he stopped the gutsy challenger Jackson Kaptein (69.50kg) in the eighth round.
The strongly-built Kaptein, 29, forced the pace through the first three rounds before Koopman came into the fight in the fourth round to score with stinging lefts and rights to the head.
Koopman, 28, remained in control from rounds five to seven before scoring with a left hook in the eighth round that sent Jackson down against the ropes.
He managed to beat the count but was down again soon afterward as referee Tony Nyangiwe stepped in to wave the fight off at one minute 17 seconds into the round.
The unused judges were Jaap van Niewenhuizen, Namhla Tyluba and Mfundo Mvandaba.
Koopman improved his record to 11-0; 8 and Kaptein’s record dropped to 6-2-1; 4.
UNDERCARD
In a junior bantamweight fight, South Africa’s Ricardo Malajika (52.06kg) was in fine form as he stopped the Filipino Adrian Lerasan (52.00kg), who fights from the southpaw stance, at two minutes 49 seconds into the fifth round.
Malajika improved his record to 11-2; 9 and Lerason’s record dropped to 12-5; 5.
In a light heavyweight bout, Michael Head (79.30kg) won on points over four rounds against Trist Duma (76.60kg), and in a welterweight bout, Keanu Koopman (66.30kg) won on a second-round stoppage against Xolani Salimane (64.30kg).
The tournament was presented by Golden Gloves Promotions.
LERENA TO FIGHT IN A WBC ELIMINATOR
It was announced from ringside at Emperors Palace near Kempton Park on Saturday night that South Africa’s Kevin Lerena will meet former WBC cruiserweight champion Ryad Merhy of France in a WBC Bridgerweight world title eliminator at Emperors Palace on 13 May.