Berman wields the axe
Lakefield resident Thomas “Tommy Gun” Oosthuizen’s January 18 fight, against Elieder Alvarez in Montreal, Canada, has been cancelled after the 25-year-old boxer was fired by boxing promoter, Golden Gloves.
Oosthuizen and trainer Harold Volbrecht were scheduled to depart for North America last week, for the bout against Alvarez, for the World Boxing Association’s vacant intercontinental light-heavyweight championship.
However, the big, potential international breakthrough, along with the boxer’s career, have gone to shreds following reports that Golden Gloves’ Rodney Berman has axed the 1.93m tall southpaw.
According to the Golden Gloves website, Berman said he was not prepared to tolerate Oosthuizen’s “habitual nonsense”.
“He’s done!” said Berman.
“He’s had so many chances and blown every one.
“Golden Gloves is the promoter of champions, of men of credibility, good standing and dignity, and Tommy has let us all down.
“Fighters are meant to be role models, but he’s fallen very short.”
Berman’s comments came in the wake of Oosthuizen’s alleged bicycle crash in December.
The Nashua trainee is understood to be overweight, because he has been nursing an alleged injury that he sustained in the accident, and he subsequently pulled out of the showdown against Alvarez, which was to be televised by HBO in Canada.
Following his successful seventh title defence against Argentina’s Ezequiel Maderna, in early November, last year, in a laboured affair, Oosthuizen vowed to repay the support shown to him by his fans, but it appears he has done nothing but go against his word.
Neither Oosthuizen or Volbrecht could be reached for comment.
