Gerrie Coetzee facts for kids

Gerhardus Christian Coetzee (born 8 April 1955 – died 12 January 2023) was a famous South African professional boxer. He competed from 1974 to 1986, and then again in 1993 and 1997. He made history by becoming the first African boxer to fight for, and win, a world heavyweight boxing championship. He held the WBA title from 1983 to 1984.

Gerrie Coetzee had some amazing knockout wins. He defeated the WBA world heavyweight champion Michael Dokes and also beat former world champion Leon Spinks. He also had a draw (a tie) with Pinklon Thomas, who later became a world champion himself.

One of Coetzee's nicknames was "The Bionic Hand." This was because he had a lot of problems with his right hand. He needed three surgeries to fix it, and doctors had to put special parts inside. His other nickname in Afrikaans was "Seer Handjies", which means "Sore Little Hands." This name was given to him by another great South African boxer, Kallie Knoetze.

Gerrie Coetzee passed away from cancer on 12 January 2023, when he was 67 years old.

Gerrie Coetzee's Boxing Journey

Starting His Professional Career

Gerrie Coetzee began his professional boxing career on 14 September 1974. In his very first fight, he beat Christian Roos, who was an experienced boxer from South Africa. Coetzee won by a decision after four rounds.

After this first win, Coetzee had many more victories in his home country. He beat Roos again in a rematch, winning by knockout in the third round. He also defeated Mike Schutt, another South African boxer. Coetzee also had important wins against former world title challengers like Ron Stander and Randy Stephens. He also beat Pierre Fourie.

One of his biggest early wins was against his amateur rival, Kallie Knoetze. Coetzee won the South African Heavyweight championship by a unanimous decision after 10 rounds. He also knocked out former world heavyweight champion Leon Spinks in the first round. Most of Coetzee's early fights were in South Africa, except for the Spinks fight, which took place in Monte Carlo.

Knocking Out Leon Spinks

In his fight against Leon Spinks, Spinks attacked Coetzee right away, throwing many punches. But Coetzee stayed calm. He landed a short right punch to Spinks' head, which knocked the former world champion down. Coetzee knocked Spinks down two more times, winning the fight by a technical knockout in the first round. This victory showed everyone that Coetzee was a serious contender for a world title.

First World Title Shot

Gerrie Coetzee was the second-best heavyweight boxer in the world at the time. He got a chance to fight John Tate for the WBA heavyweight title. This title was empty because Muhammad Ali had retired. The fight happened in Pretoria, South Africa. This event was very special because it was the first time black people were allowed to watch a boxing match at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

Coetzee was the first boxer born in Africa to challenge for a world heavyweight title. In this fight, Coetzee started well but seemed to lose energy as the fight went on. Tate won the fight by a decision after 15 rounds. Coetzee later said that he sometimes lacked confidence, especially when fighting American boxers.

Fighting Against Apartheid

Gerrie Coetzee openly spoke out against apartheid, which was a system of racial separation in South Africa. Boxing played a big role in changing sports during apartheid. The first major boxing event to allow mixed races was in 1973. This helped set the stage for racially mixed boxing matches with mixed audiences.

In 1977, it became legal for South African boxers of different races to fight each other. Two years later, all remaining racial rules in boxing were removed. The first multi-racial South African title fights happened on 27 November 1976. On that day, Coetzee defeated James Mathatho, a top black boxer, by knockout in the seventh round for the SA championship. On the same night, Elijah 'Tap Tap' Makhatini beat a white boxer, Jan Kies, to become the undisputed middleweight champion.

Second World Title Shot

John Tate did not hold the WBA title for long. He was knocked out by Mike Weaver in his first title defense. Meanwhile, Coetzee kept winning, including a first-round knockout of Mike Koranicki. This kept his hopes for a world title alive.

In 1980, the new champion, Mike Weaver, came to South Africa to defend his title against Coetzee. Many people came to watch the fight. Coetzee started strong and hurt Weaver several times. In the 8th round, Weaver was in big trouble, but Coetzee couldn't finish him.

After missing the chance to win, Coetzee seemed to get tired. Weaver started to land more counter punches. By the 12th round, the fight was very close. Coetzee's energy ran out, and he threw fewer punches after the 9th round. He was getting hit more often. Weaver got stronger as the fight continued. Coetzee was knocked down for the first time in his career in the 13th round and lost the fight by a technical knockout.

Getting Ready for a Third Title Fight

Less than five months after losing to Weaver, Coetzee returned to boxing. He beat George Chaplin before facing Renaldo Snipes. Coetzee knocked Snipes down twice early in the fight and seemed to be winning. However, the judges scored the fight by rounds, not by points. This meant that a round with knockdowns was not valued more than a round that was narrowly lost. Coetzee lost a ten-round decision, which many people thought was unfair.

Coetzee won five out of six fights after the Weaver bout. One of these wins was against former title challenger Scott Le Doux. Then he fought Pinklon Thomas, who would later become a world champion. Coetzee was ahead in the first half of the fight, but Thomas came back, and the fight ended in a draw. Even though he lost to Snipes and drew with Thomas, Coetzee was still considered a top boxer.

Becoming WBA Heavyweight Champion

Because of his strong start against Pinklon Thomas, Coetzee got his third chance at a world title. He was set to fight WBA champion Michael Dokes. Many people thought Coetzee couldn't win "the big one." They expected this fight to show how good Dokes was.

The fight happened on 23 September 1983, in Ohio, USA. After a few even rounds, Coetzee took control. He was aggressive but also used smart counter punches. Coetzee showed great composure and boxed better than usual, using more left hooks instead of just relying on his powerful right hand. He didn't focus much on defense, taking Dokes' punches. In the 5th round, he scored a knockdown. The commentators were amazed by his calm and control.

After taking charge, Coetzee knocked out Dokes in the tenth round. He became South Africa's first world Heavyweight champion! He was also the first white world heavyweight champion in 23 years. This fight was named the "Upset of The Year" for 1983 by KO Magazine.

However, the punch that knocked out Dokes also hurt Coetzee. His right hand was broken and needed surgery five days after the fight in New York City.

Unification Fight and Losing the Title

There was a lot of talk about Coetzee fighting Larry Holmes, who was considered the best heavyweight boxer at the time. Holmes held the International Boxing Federation title. A contract for a big fight was signed in 1984.

But money problems stopped the fight from happening. The company backing the fight couldn't get enough money. Caesars Palace in Las Vegas tried to save the event, but it didn't work out. Also, Coetzee's promoter, Don King, and Holmes's past issues with King contributed to the fight not happening. Holmes wanted the fight to happen because it would have earned both boxers a lot of money. Coetzee was also very eager for the fight.

The WBA insisted that for the fight to happen with their approval, Holmes would have to fight as a challenger for Coetzee's belt. Or, Coetzee would have to give up his belt to challenge Holmes. Holmes didn't think the WBA should control a fight between them. In the end, Coetzee re-injured his hand during training, needing more surgery, and the fight was cancelled.

When Coetzee returned to the ring after a long break, he fought Greg Page. Page was known for being very talented but sometimes lazy. In this fight, Page was very energetic. Coetzee seemed too confident and tried to talk a lot during the fight instead of just punching. Coetzee was dangerous, but his defense was not good, and he got hit often. His right hand wasn't working well, but he scored with his left.

Coetzee was knocked down after the bell in the 6th round (which was a foul). He was legitimately knocked down in the 7th round. Page took advantage of Coetzee's mistakes. Coetzee, who was known for his powerful punches, was losing the exchanges and getting hurt. He was knocked out in Round 8.

However, there was an argument about the fight. Coetzee's team said that the 8th round was too long. They also said that the bell had rung while Coetzee was on the ground, so the referee's count should have been stopped. This would usually allow a boxer to continue fighting. The 8th round actually ran for almost a minute too long. Despite this, the WBA accepted the result and confirmed Page as the winner by knockout in eight rounds. Coetzee and his team asked for a rematch, but Page went on to fight Tony Tubbs instead.

After Losing the Championship

After losing his title, Coetzee tried to make a comeback. He beat former title challenger James "Quick" Tillis by decision after ten rounds. Next, he traveled to England to fight the powerful boxer Frank Bruno. A win would have given him another shot at the WBA title. However, Coetzee was knocked out in the first round.

After that fight, he announced his retirement. But he came back twice in the 1990s. In 1993, he won by knockout against both Dave Fiddler and West Turner. Then, in 1997, Coetzee lost to former world champion Iran Barkley by knockout in the tenth round, even though he had knocked Barkley down in the second round. This was for the WBB Superheavyweight belt, and it was his last professional fight.

Gerrie Coetzee's Boxing Record Summary

See also

In Spanish: Gerrie Coetzee para niños