hier nochmal ein abriss seiner karriere (sehr gute amateur bilanz!!!) :
Corrie Sanders’ professional boxing career began way back in April 1989 with a first-round knockout victory over a boxer with the interesting name of King Kong Dyubele.
Almost 14 years later, the southpaw from Pretoria recorded a victory by knockout, 27 seconds into the second round, to lift the WBO heavyweight title from a mountain of a man – Wladimir Klitschko - regarded as one of the few true challengers to Lennox Lewis as king of the heavyweights.
It’s been a long road for Sanders, mostly without the recognition due to someone with his explosive punching power, the same power that so effectively dealt with Klitschko. It's worth taking a look at the road he travelled to become the WBO champion.
Starting at the very beginning, Sanders was a top amateur pugilist. He had a long and excellent career, building up a superb record of 180 wins and only 11 losses, and won seven South African national titles. In 1989 he turned professional.
Explosive power
Two years after joining the paid ranks, Sanders really made people sit up and take notice when he destroyed the formerly world-ranked Johnny du Plooy in the first round to win the South African heavyweight title.
In 1993 he knocked out Bert Cooper in the third round. Cooper has faced, among others in his career, George Foreman, Ray Mercer, Riddick Bowe, Evander Holyfield, Michael Moorer, Mike Weaver and Chris Byrd. This served notice that Sanders was for real, a man with big punching power.
Things were looking very promising for Sanders, but the following year - 1994 - he suffered an upset second-round loss to Nate Tubbs, who caught the former policeman with a big right - in the heavyweight division, that is sometimes all that is needed.
Returning to the ring against former cruiserweight king Carlos DeLeon, Sanders needed very little time to make his mark. In fact, three seconds after the opening bell DeLeon found himself on the floor. The fight was over before the end of the round.
Towards the end of 1997, Sanders won the WBU version of the heavyweight title with a 12 round points victory over Ross Purrity. Ironically, it was Purrity who had handed Klitschko his only defeat before the Ukranian met Sanders. In 1998 Sanders KO’d Bobby Czyz in two rounds; Czyz had come into that fight with a very respectable 44 and seven record.
Setback against Rahman
A bout against Al “Ice” Cole in 2000 ended quickly as Sanders won by the short route in the first round once more. However, later that year he suffered only his second defeat, going down to Hasim Rahman by a seventh-round TKO.
Sanders could have, and probably should have, won this fight. He came into the contest trying to get over the effects of flu, but it didn’t show early on as he knocked Rahman down. However, Rahman fought back, eventually turning the tide and taking the win, although it could have gone either way.
After a break of a year-and-a-half, Sanders again climbed through the ropes and business as usual was resumed, with the South African winning by knockout in the first round against Michael Sprott. Despite his success, it was almost a year to the day that Sanders fought again, this time against Otis Tisdale. Known as “The Assassin”, Tisdale was so to speak “assassinated” by Sanders, who won in the second round.
Glancing over Sanders' record, one thing stands out - this man can hit, and hit very hard. Before the Klitschko fight he had recorded 25 of his 28 knockouts in the first four rounds of his fights, and a huge 61% of those KOs happened in the first round.
Klitschko would have done well to take note of that statistic, because by the time the first round was over in the WBO title fight the Ukranian had been floored twice and had barely made it to the bell. Less than half-a-minute into the second round it was all over.
Change in fortune
Following his upset win over Klitschko, Sanders’ record stands at 40 fights, 38 wins, 28 by knockout. No matter how you look at it, that is impressive. Now, at the advanced age (for a top class boxer) of 37, Sanders’ biggest payday awaits him.
Corrie Sanders' record
Apr 1989: King Kong Dyubele, KO 1
April 1989: Prince Tukane, W 4
May 1989: David Malatsi, KO 1
Aug 1989: Gideon Hlongwa, KO 3
Sept 1989: Samson Mahlangu, KO 3
March 1990: Weaver Qwabe, KO 1
May 1990: Jorge Vilchiz, KO 1
Aug 1990: Moses Mthaha, KO 1
Nov 1990: Steve Zouski, W 8
April 1991: Steve Gee, KO 4
July 1991: Johnny Du Plooy, KO 1
Sept 1991: Mike Rouse, W 10
Nov 1991: Art Card, KO 1
Feb 1992: Anthony Wade, W 10
May 1992: Mike Dixon, W 8
Aug 1992: Mike Evans, W 10
Oct 1992: Johnny Nelson, W 10
April 1993: Matthew Brooks, KO 1
June 1993: Bert Cooper, KO 3
Sept 1993: George Stephens, KO 1
Nov 1993: Levi Billups, KO 1
Feb 1994: Marshall Tillman, KO 6
March 1994: Mike Williams, KO 1
May 1994: Nate Tubbs, Lost KO 2
Aug 1994: Carlos DeLeon, KO 1
Sept 1994: Garing Lane, W 8
April 1995: Nikolai Kulpin, W 10
Aug 1995: James Pritchard, KO 1
Jan 1996: Keith Fletcher, KO 2
July 1996: Curt Shepard, KO 1
Aug 1996: Sean Hart, KO 2
Sept 1996: Olian Alexander, KO 2
Feb 1997: Arthur Weathers, KO 1
Nov 1997: Ross Puritty, W 12
June 1998: Bobby Czyz, KO 2
July 1999: Jorge Valdez, KO 1
Feb 2000: Alfred Cole, KO 1
May 2000: Hasim Rahman, L KO 7
Nov 2001: Michael Sprott, KO 1
Nov 2002: Otis Tisdale, KO 1
Mar 2003: Wladimir Klitschko, KO 2
