Shervantaigh Koopman (right) throws a punch at Wendy Toussaint. Photo by James Gradidge
Shervantaigh Koopman has built up an unbeaten record against modest opposition.
A statement victory against a former world title challenger could put him in a position to face the best fighters at 154 pounds.
Koopman will face Brandon Cook on Saturday night at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, South Africa. The 10-round bout will be a six-match ‘The Conquerors’ card which will be broadcast live on TrillerTV (17:00 UTC).
Rodney Berman, who has promoted fight cards in South Africa for over 45 years, is confident that Koopman can emerge as a legitimate contender should he defeat Cook in impressive fashion.
“Koopman is ‘the best kept secret’ in the division,” Berman told The Ring on Thursday. “That’s the best way to sum it up. Cook is a well-respected fighter with an impressive record. I am confident that the fight will highlight how good Shervantaigh is.”
In his last fight on June 15, Koopman (14-0, 9 KOs), who is originally from Pretoria, South Africa, defeated Wendy Tossaint by unanimous decision. Toussaint’s only two losses prior to the Koopman fight were against Charles Conwell and Ardreal Holmes, Jr., both of whom are currently undefeated contenders at 154 pounds.
Koopman scored a one-sided decision over Cristiano Ndombassy in his previous fight on November 25.
The 30-year-old Koopman, who has been a fixture on several recent fight cards promoted by Berman at Emperors Palace, also has knockout wins over Brandon Thysse and Jackson Kaptein. He currently lives and trains in Johannesburg and is trained by Vusi Mtolo.
Cook (26-2, 18 KOs) has not fought since Dec. 2 and stopped Luis Vidales Gutierrez in the third round. In his previous fight on April 29 last year, Cook defeated fringe middleweight contender Gino Natalio Godoy by split decision.
The 38-year-old Cook, who lives in Ajax, Canada, has won his last six fights since a knockout loss to then-WBO world junior middleweight titleholder Jaime Munguia in September 2018.
The fight against Koopman will be his third time fighting outside of Canada. In addition to the loss to Munguia, which took place in Las Vegas, Cook’s other fight took place abroad in Kazakhstan, resulting in a knockout loss to Kanat Islam.
The headliner will see Brandon Thysse (16-4-1, 12 KOs) of nearby Germinston take on Junior Makondo (9-6-1, 7 KOs) of Malamulele, South Africa in a 12-round bout .
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at (email protected)
