Debut fight delight for Sawyer
It was the perfect start for Benoni High School old boy Gareth Sawyer (27), in his first professional fight in the middleweight division at EFC Africa 28, on Thursday, March 27, at the Coca-Cola Dome.
March 27, at The Coca-Cola Dome, Johannesburg. (Photo by Ruby Wolff).
While most fight fans were eagerly awaiting the main middleweight title fight between JP “Tinkerbell” Kruger and Garreth “Soldierboy” McLellan, it was the new middleweight fighter, Sawyer, who started his EFC Africa journey with an impressive defeat of fellow newcomer Pupanga Tresor, via a TKO two minutes and 28 seconds into round one.
Sawyer, who had had 12 amateur fights before signing with EFC Africa, said he was nervous before his encounter, but enjoyed the experience.
“Going into it, I just wanted to give my all,” he said.
“I worked hard to get to this point and went in with a cool head.
“I am a very technical fighter and don’t usually get very aggressive, so it was important for me to keep my head and get the job done.”
Mixed martial arts (MMA) was not always something that the former Benoni resident, who now lives in Edenvale, had considered doing.
“I started doing Brazilian Ju-Jitsu for the fitness and naturally progressed into MMA,” he said.
He fought out of the World of Warriors (WOW) gym in Edenvale for just over a year and has done really well to progress to EFC after 12 amateur fights.
Speaking about his opponent, Tresor, Sawyer said: “I did not know anything about my opponent other than the fact that he was a K1 (kickboxing) specialist.
“His stand-up work was very aggressive and I received a few cuts to the face, as well as a few elbows to the head.
“Once the fight went to the ground, though, I managed to turn him over, stay on top of him, land some punches and move him into the crucifix position.
“From there on it was over by technical knock-out.”
Sawyer would like to fight two more fights this year and win both of them.
“I do not want to rush into anything, as the division is still quite small,” he said.
“If I can get another five straight wins then I could earn a title shot, but that’s still a long time coming.”
He advised young fighters who are aiming to turn professional to be patient, as there is a lot to learn.
“Young fighters want to get into it very fast, but must know that it is not street fighting and takes a great deal of commitment,” he explained.
“I lost 10kg in less than a month to make the weight for the fight, so discipline, diet and training are important for any fighter.”
Sawyer is a working man and plies his trade at RGM Cranes, in Apex.
The company has been a fervent supporter of the fighter and he thanked them for their sponsorship.
