'Nearly man' keeps hoping
David Isaacson/ Suntimes.co.za/ September, 2001
Corrie Sanders is the "nearly-nearly man".
South Africa's leading heavyweight boxer has spent much of his career a step or two away from big-bucks fights and real world titles.
He has had top-10 rankings. He has even shared opponents with Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis - and has performed better against them than the two former world champions.
But that meant nothing on the world circuit until Hasim Rahman knocked out Lewis in Johannesburg in April.
Now Sanders, who returns to action on November 3, has won the backing of controversial American promoter Don King - although he needed a loss to get his attention.
His seventh-round stoppage by Rahman in the United States in May last year was a lot more impressive than Lewis's fifth-round capitulation.
Sanders, who put Rahman down in the early rounds, was at least still on his feet when the referee halted the bout.
The defeat, only the second of his convincing 38-fight career, nearly had Sanders, 35, calling it a day.
But then he got a second wind when he watched from ringside as Lewis collapsed in a heap.
"I just took time off (after losing to Rahman). I told my trainer (Harold Volbrecht) that I was thinking of retiring.
"But after I saw what happened with Rahman and Lewis, I thought 'It could have been me in there with Lewis'," says Sanders, who ends his 18-month layoff against Englishman Michael Sprott on Nashua's Fire and Ice bill on November 3.
After that, says local promoter Rodney Berman, the verbal 50-50 deal with King will kick in.
"I want to get Corrie a crack at a bona fide world title. "After seeing Rahman beat Lewis, he now knows his true ability."
Berman, who says he has never had a bad time dealing with the controversial King, believes Sanders will hit the big time early next year - with a shot at either the winner of the rematch between WBA champion John Ruiz and Holyfield, or the victor of the Rahman-Lewis return for the IBF and WBC crowns.
Volbrecht would particularly love a shot at the WBA crown.
"I think Corrie will beat Holyfield and Ruiz. That'll be a fantastic fight for us.
"If Corrie puts his mind to it, he can do it. And the way he's been training the last couple of weeks, he has proved he still has the motivation."
Sanders, who has shed some seven kilograms - "I'm not so flabby now" - since returning to road work, is a gifted sportsman.
He boasts a golf handicap of two and represented Northern Transvaal schools at Craven Week as a flyhalf and centre.
He captured the imagination of the South African boxing public after knocking out Johnny du Plooy for the SA title in one round in 1991.
But he was discarded as a serious contender after losing on a second-round knockout to unheralded American Nate Tubbs in 1994.
Even his points win over Ross Puritty for the marginal WBU crown in 1997 failed to convince many local fans.
Sanders, who is starting a catering business and is also looking at opening a restaurant in Johannesburg's trendy Melville, could be one fight away from his dream.
And victory - or even a good performance - may finally convince his sceptics.
Once again, Sanders is nearly there.
Corrie rings the bell again
Whispers in Sanders's mangled ear is that a crack at world title - maybe against Lennox Lewis - could be the ultimate prize
David Isaacson/ Suntimes.co.za/ October, 2001
Even with a mangled left ear, heavyweight Corrie Sanders looks in great nick.
And the former WBU and South African champion insists he's feeling great for his comeback bout against Englishman Michael Sprott at Carnival City on Saturday night.
The pair are scheduled to meet over 10 rounds on the main undercard to the showdown between WBU titleholders Cassius Baloyi and Phillip Ndou.
And if Sanders is successful, a crack at the world heavyweight title could be on the cards, says promoter Rodney Berman.
It's very much an if-then scenario: if Sanders wins, and if Lennox Lewis regains his IBF and WBC crowns from Hasim Rahman, and if Mike Tyson decides on another warm-up fight instead of Lewis, then Sanders could meet Lewis in South Africa.
The plan for Sanders to meet Evander Holyfield if he deposes WBA heavyweight titleholder John Ruiz appears to have been put on ice.
"I'm focusing on Lewis," said Berman.
"If that doesn't happen, there're other big fights out there."
Sanders has spent much of his career listening to if-then scenarios - he's certainly had his ear bent by them.
But Berman is adamant that Sanders is really close this time. "This is not pie in the sky."
Sanders, however, is focusing only on the immediate task and is getting into the shape of his life - he will be at his lightest in years when he steps into the ring.
"He's about 98kg now," trainer Harold Volbrecht said this week. "And he'll be about 100kg for the fight."
Sanders started his career weighing in the 90s, but progressively moved up well into the 100kg bracket.
"He's so quick now," said Volbrecht, "in his hands and his upper body."
In his last bout, Sanders lost his WBU title on a seventh-round stoppage to Rahman in May 2000.
But since Rahman's shock fifth-round knockout win over Lewis in April this year, Sanders's credibility has grown.
Sprott, ranked sixth in Europe's top 10, is looking to use Sanders as a stepping stone to greater things.
He has been in South Africa for two weeks adjusting to the altitude.
"He's going to come out fast in the first four rounds," predicted Sprott, saying he will pick up the action after that - but that's assuming he survives the opening 12 minutes.
Sanders has stopped 25 of his opponents inside the first four rounds.
Only one of his stoppage victims managed to survive beyond four rounds, and that was Marshall Tillman, who was stopped in the sixth in 1994.
Sanders, 35, has a record of 36 wins (26 inside the distance) and two defeats.
Sprott, 26, is 16-2.
Corrie is back with a vengeance
Clinton Van Der Berg at Carnival City
Corrie Sanders' return to the ring had elements of farce last night as he stopped England's Michael Sprott in the first round at the "Fire and Ice" tournament.
First, Sprott wobbled Sanders with a left-right combination halfway through the round. The blows stung Sanders into life and the southpaw responded with some fierce counter-punching. The blows only appeared to be glancing, but Sprott tumbled sideways onto the canvas.
Corrie Sanders' return to the ring had elements of farce last night as he stopped England's Michael Sprott in the first round at the "Fire and Ice" tournament.
First, Sprott wobbled Sanders with a left-right combination halfway through the round. The blows stung Sanders into life and the southpaw responded with some fierce counter-punching. The blows only appeared to be glancing, but Sprott tumbled sideways onto the canvas.
He appeared hurt and struggled to his feet at the count of nine. Referee Thabo Spampool looked him in the eye and called a halt at 1:25 of the round.
Sprott protested the stoppage, but he ought to have picked up the count from his corner and risen at eight to have had any chance of continuing.
It is a moot point, though: Sanders was straining at the leash to have another go when the end came.
Corrie's crime in world boxing was being a homely South African
By David Isaacson/ Suntimes.co.za/ Dec. 2001
Spare a thought for Corrie Sanders, South Africa's forgotten man of boxing.
Sanders, the former WBU and SA heavyweight champion, was playing golf in Johannesburg on Wednesday and commented yet again how he hoped to get a crack at a big name or title.
The former Pretoria policeman has simply never landed in the limelight of the world heavyweight division - even though he deserves to have been given a shot at some point.
His biggest mistake, it would seem, was staying loyal to South Africa. Sanders, as homely as they come, has opted to fight out of his homeland instead of taking the plunge of effectively emigrating to the US, like countryman Frans Botha.
Sanders and Botha met as amateurs a few times and Sanders emerged the winner on each occasion, knocking him out every time except once.
But Botha was the one who was prepared to move to the US and fight his way to the top - and his success is the result more of great marketing than great skill.
Botha, a former IBF champion, has fought the likes of Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Michael Moorer. He lost to them all but earned millions of dollars in the process.
Sanders can�t even boast a multimillion-rand purse, and he languishes in the twilight zone.
And make no mistake, he's an extremely talented sportsman. He plays golf off a two handicap and at school he represented Northern Transvaal at rugby�s Craven Week, playing flyhalf and first centre.
But his only crime in world boxing has been to be a proud South African. Given the chance, he'd make fellow South Africans proud of him.
