The heat just got turned up a whole lot higher for Tommy Oosthuizen. To everyone’s great disappointment, the IBO super-middleweight champion came in 1.7lbs above the weight limit on Friday for his title defence against Fulgencio Zuniga at Emperors Palace this weekend.
Given two hours to work the weight off, he promptly did so, much to the relief of Golden Gloves and Oosthuizen’s fans.
This now only piles on the pressure for Oosthuizen, who faces a hard enough test against the Colombian without the effects of draining weight to worry about. It must also be a particular concern to Oosthuizen’s management and is the first serious blip in a career that until now has run exceptionally smoothly.
Asked to comment, Rodney Berman was incandescent with rage.
“I’m disgusted,” he fumed on Friday afternoon. “This should never have happened and was unnecessary. He’s up against a good fighter. This shows total unprofessionalism with what is at stake down the line. He’s messing up what could be a great career.”
Win or lose, Oosthuizen is likely to be hauled on the carpet next week to formally explain his sloppiness in making weight.
Zuniga himself was unhappy with events and, unaware of the IBO’s two-hour rule, protested that Oosthuizen was being given a second opportunity to weigh-in.
Fortunately, the rest of the fighters all weighed in before a packed audience without difficulty.
“My guys are fired up,” said trainer Colin Nathan of Ryno Liebenberg and Allan Bouwer. “It’s gonna be a great show.”
Courtesy of goldengloves.co.za