Local boxer delivers at a big stage

ABU SADC lightweight champion Kaine ‘K9’ Fourie has once again shocked the boxing world as he caused a big upset knocking out vastly experienced former SA lightweight champion Lusanda Komanisi at Emperors Palace.

The 22-year-old North Riding boxer delivered a spectacle in a non-title blow-to-blow and landed another KO victory in the fourth round.

K9 explained that the feeling is still surreal knowing that he had just won against one of the legends in the sport via KO – it doesn’t get any bigger than that.

“Going into the fight I had a lot of pressure knowing I’m a young boxer going up against a legend that’s a former world champion. But that just made me hungrier and adapt to the pressure because pressure is an honour to have and just execute the plan we were working on in our training camp.”

Komanisi has boxed over 150 rounds in the professional ranks and has faced big names, including then-knockout artist Mabhuti Sinyabi and supremely talented former IBO champ Tsifhiwa Munyai, and he has defeated all of them.

Fourie did not let anything gets in ahead as he delivered great combinations and caught Komanisisi with the left upper cut before sending him to his knees with the powerful right shot.

“This was the most important fight in my career to open as many doors as possible. Like I said he has had many titles under his belt and his resumé is also another thing that’s unspeakable with 22 KOs to his name – so to beat a man like that just opened so many doors for my young self.

“The strategy for this fight was not just to go out there and throw punches; we knew he is a hard counter-puncher which means one punch can knock you out. We had to feint him a lot to get movements out of him and then throw some punches and be cautious also. We had to throw more than one punch to take away his counter.”

Fourie’s unbeaten run continues with two belts under his name.

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