Roarke Knapp and Shervantaigh Koopman are back in action on Saturday on DAZN
Rising junior middleweight stars Roarke Knapp and Shervantaigh Koopman will return in separate fights at the Emperor’s Palace in Gauteng, South Africa.
The good news is that eventually the whole world will see them.
So far their fights have been broadcast on the African continent by the paid channel Supersport, leaving the rest of the world in the dark. However, tomorrow’s card will be broadcast worldwide by DAZN to fight fans not on the continent.
The exciting Knapp has gone from strength to strength, compiling a 17-1-1 record with 12 knockouts, avenging his only loss to Brandon Thysse in 2019. He fought twice in 2022, winning a decision over veteran Ahmed El Mousaoui. , as well as being the first man to stop Przemyslaw Zysk, demolishing the Pole in five rounds. A proposed UK fight against Josh Kelly that was supposed to take place at the end of last year was canceled when Knapp injured his hand in training, requiring surgery.
An exciting boxer, Knapp is an energetic, butt-kicking sensation and his return, along with exposure to a bigger venue, couldn’t come soon enough. He will face Mexico’s Jorge Garcia Perez in the 12th round of the IBO 154-pound belt, a title not honored by The Ring.
The more experienced Perez has 24 fights included in his 29 wins and four losses, and has never been stopped. He is riding a four-fight winning streak and has had notable names like Jorge Paez jr. He placed him in the fourth place and world title contender Carlos Ocampo, leaving him to decide in 2020.
Shervantaigh Koopman (left) and Wendy Toussaint (right) – Photo by Droeks Malan
Knapp, however, is not the only South African junior middleweight prospect. There is also his stablemate, Shervantaigh Koopman who is undefeated at 13-0. She will be facing US-based Haitian fighter Wendy Toussaint.
Koopman impressed in 2023, making Brandon Thysse retire in his corner after eight rounds. That was his biggest win and he parlayed that momentum into putting on a boxing clinic against Cristiano Ndombassy in his next fight. Quick of hand and foot, Koopman showed an excellent form of punch. He also has the ability to play boxing or go down the trenches if necessary.
The 15-2 Toussaint, who went nine rounds against the then-undefeated and eight-ranked Charles Conwell, represents another step up and it will be interesting to see how Koopman handles it.
A fight between Knapp and Koopman, who are always at odds with each other, could be a dream local fight. In noDroeks Malan w, the chances of that happening are zero, both go in different ways.
On the undercard, 6-0 strawweight prospect Beaven Sibanda must sink or swim if he faces the experienced Siphamandla Baleni in eight rounds. Baleni of 21-6-2 has competed at a very high level and has shared the ring with, among others, the former IBF strawweight manager, Nkosinathi Joyi.
The heavyweight rounder between national champions Juan Roux and Chris Thompson should also make for a crowd-pleasing fight.
The card was presented by Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves Promotions.
