Fight Star 8 took place this Saturday, at the St John’s Hellenic Hall, at the corner of Lobelia and Wychwood roads, in Primrose.
It was an evening filled with excitement and hard hitting action, as fighters tried to make their mark in the hexagon.
The evening boasted 20 matches in total.
The final match of the evening was also the main and most anticipated fight, with welterweight Cameron Pritchard taking on Jerdri Koekemoer.
It seemed the encounter would be brought to an abrupt halt when Pritchard got Koekemoer in an arm bar hold.
To the crowd’s delight, however, Koekemoer was able to hold on and the round ended without submission.
The second round was just as jam-packed with thrills, as Pritchard escaped Koekemoer’s guillotine choke hold.
The third round saw both men giving their all in an attempt to win the match, but it was finally awarded to Pritchard on points.
The night’s other matches were decided as follows:
- Anthony Paul took on JT Botha in a light-heavyweight (LHW) match.
Paul won the match on points after the full three rounds.
- Christopher Pedro faced Donald Mabusela in the second match of the evening.
The lightweight (LW) match was declared a draw by the judges with both fighters showing exceptional skill and determination.
- Fortuna Kabwe took on Mwenhlanla Bongani in the bantamweight division.
Bongani could not last against Kabwe’s aggressive approach and the match was stopped due to a technical knockout (TKO) one minute and 15 seconds into the second round, only moments before Bongani’s team threw in the towel.
- Joe Kadima faced off against Dimitri Fogg, in a mediumweight (MW) match.
This match, though intense, was shortlived, with Fogg getting Kadima to submit through a rear necked choke hold within the first round.
- Gerhard Eksteen was paired up against Freddie Bronkhorsd in a welterweight (WW) bout.
Bronkhord came out of his corner ready to go, while it seemed Eksteen was taking a more tactical approach.
This attack seemed to pay off as Bronkhord tired in the second round.
This gave Eksteen the upper hand and he was able to pin Bronkhord and let loose a series of right jabs that won him the match
by a TKO.
- Fight six saw Layne Openshaw take on Zulu in the featherweight division.
Through Zulu seemed to have the upper hand, a well-timed spinning punch 18 seconds into the second round saw Openshaw knock Zulu to the ground and win the match with a TKO.
- LW Joseph Phutiagae and Leon White faced off.
Phutiagae won the match with a TKO, one minute and 33 seconds into the final round, when he was able to execute a ground-and-pound.
- Niel du Plessis took on Jacques Prinsloo in a LHW encounter.
Niel put an end to this match within seconds, when the action was stopped by Prinsloo’s submission, during a guillotine choke hold.
- Ghini Greyling took on Adrian Farrell in a MW match up.
Greyling was the crowd favourite from the opening seconds, but this did not put Farrell off his game.
The two men battled for domination throughout the match and, 20 seconds into the third round, Greyling was able to get Farrell off his feet, to a huge cheer from the crowd.
He rained down punches onto Farrell, causing the referee to call a TKO to the match, naming Greyling the winner.
- Ernst Kotze and Martin Joubert faced off in a FW match, in which they gave their all.
The match was won by Kotze after three rounds, on points.
- Fight 11 saw bantamweights Cobus Dauth and Eric van Rooyen face off.
A great punch combo from Dauth in the closing moments of the second round saw him win the match by TKO.
- Delano Coetzee faced Ernst Jansen van Rensburg in the first heavyweight (HW) fight of the night.
This fight was more relaxed in comparison to the lighter weight groups and, after three rounds, Coetzee was declared the winner, on points.
- Willie Mackay and Cole Henning took on each other in a LW match, which saw both men battling for supremacy.
The fight was called to a stop two minutes and 28 seconds into the third round, when Henning managed to get Mackay into a guillotine choke hold.
Mackay submitted and Henning was named the winner.
- Paul Rothman took on Jason Laing in a LHW fight.
These men are both professional amateurs, making this one of the night’s anticipated meetings.
The men both brought their A-game and the match was won by Laing, on points, after three gruelling rounds.
- MW Tresor Boluwa and Johan Erasmus faced off against each other in the fight 15 of the night.
Both men landed welled timed punches and kicks, but the match was awarded to Boluwa on points, after the final round.
- Rudi Roets took on LW counterpart Daniel Susseman in the only junior bout of the evening.
This greatly anticipated face off would decide once and for all which of these 17-year-olds is the best junior amateur fighter in the country.
It was a tough match, with both boys taking a key advantage in each round, but the victory was, however, awarded to Roets, on points.
- Leandre Brettschiender was pitted against Ettiene Jacobs in the evening’s second last MW match of the evening.
The fight was over within the first round, with Brettschiender trapping Jacobs in a triangle choke hold.
This hold cause Jacobs to submit and the match was called two minutes and 16 seconds into round one.
- Quaid Openshaw faced off against Quentin Graaf in a MW bout.
This face-paced match was brought to a close when Openshaw executed a well-timed guillotine choke hold, which ended in Graaf’s submission in the first round.
- Wessel Mostert, World Super Heavyweight Champion, took on a focused Mpathy Mpata in the evening’s penultimate match.
Mostert rushed out of his corner like a freight train, keeping the pressure on throughout the match.
Mpata proved a worthy opponent delivering several impressive blows, but it was Mostert who proved, once again, why he is the champion, with a submission, through the rear choke hold one minute and 15 seconds into the second half.
