Epic Heavyweight Clash: Gerrie Coetzee vs Kallie Knoetze (1976) 🥊

Gerrie Coetzee vs Kallie Knoetze in a ten round non-title fight

Date: October 30, 1976

Venue: Rand Stadium, Johannesburg

Coetzee stance: orthodox

Knoetze stance: orthodox

Gerrie Coetzee turned pro in September 1974, and was unbeaten in 13 prior to this fight. Seven of those wins came by stoppage, so Coetzee wasn't considered a huge puncher, despite his 6'4" frame. The main reason for his slightly underwhelming punching power was he suffered a number of serious injuries to his right hand that required several operations. Coetzee had scored an impressive win over former world title challenger, Ron Stander, in July 1976. A month later, he beat Mike Schutte by disqualification, after his opponent kicked him when he was down. All of his fights had taken place in his native South Africa, as had those for his opponent.

Kallie Knoetze turned pro in February 1976. He racked up six quick wins by stoppage before losing by disqualification to Reinaldo Gorosito on October 5, 1976. This was to be the seventh time Coetze and Knoetze shared a ring, as they had fought each other six times as amateurs, winning three each. Even then, Coetzee's hand issues were common knowledge, and it was Knoetze who gave him the nickname little sore hands. There was no love lost between these rivals, and this was the fight to determine who was the best heavyweight in South Africa.

For an in depth look at their respective records, visit:

Gerrie Coetzee - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/176

Kallie Knoetze - https://boxrec.com/en/boxer/254

Please note the commentary for this video is in Afrikaans