Verwoerdpark fighter wins pro debut bout
Boxer Sacha Thesner finally went professional in February 2023, and found himself under the wings of Colleen McAusland of McAusland Boxing Management.
Verwoerdpark’s Sacha Thesner won his first professional bout at the Carousel Casino north of Pretoria, on June 25.
The 27-year-old won on a unanimous point decision and knocked down his opponent, Thamsanqa ‘Time Line’ Adams, in the third round, scoring a 10-8 round and sealing the victory.
Sacha started boxing at age 10 after his father insisted he learns how to defend himself due to being bullied at school. But little did he know that he actually had a great talent for the sport, which led him into falling in love with boxing.
His amateur career was birthed at Alberton Boxing Club.
“I won the Ekurhuleni championships on several occasions and won the Gauteng’s too, but unfortunately I never competed in the SA champs. After a long career of 52 amateur fights with 34 being victories, Anton Gilmore, one of my mentors, grabbed me and put me under his wing at Box Office Gym,” he explained.
Anton presented Sacha with the opportunity to have an international bout with a fighter from England. He continued to guide him and he only went pro at the age of 21.
“Due to my circumstances at the time, I decided to take a six-year layoff and focused on building a career with Turnkey Hydraulics, who is now one of my current sponsors. I came back to boxing last year November when Anton gave me a call. I then had two white-collar fights which I dominated, and Anton said it’s time to go back to the pro ranks,” Sacha said.
He is currently preparing for his next fight which is set to be on July 21 in Joburg South.
“I’ll be dropping from lightweight division to junior lightweight for this bout. I just want to give a massive thank you to my sponsors, as I wouldn’t be here without them – JGJ Electrical, Turnkey Hydraulics, Zaki New Life Fitness Gym, Nootropics Nation and McAusland Boxing Management,” he said.
His manager, Colleen McAusland, said Sacha took good instructions in the corner from coaches Leron and Fatti.
“He trained hard for the fight and deserved the UD win. I’m very proud of him, he will soon be back in the ring and will be dropping a weight division going forward. Thank you to his sponsors for preparing him for the fight,” she said.
