Gerrie Coetzee vs Pinklon Thomas in a ten round non-title fight

Date: January 22, 1983

Venue: Sands, Atlantic City, New Jersey

Coetzee stance: orthodox

Thomas stance: orthodox

After Gerrie Coetzee lost his third fight - this time by split decision to Ronaldo Snipes - many boxing fans wrote the South African off as a talented boxer who couldn't win the big fights. This was a little unfair, as he had wins over Ron Stander, Kallie Knoetze and Leon Spinks, but those three losses did indicate a lack of self confidence and willpower. Also, his loss to Snipes was considered one of the worst decisions of the decade, and was blamed on the scoring being based on rounds won, rather than the margin of superiority in each round (Coetzee scored two knockdowns in the early rounds). What cannot be denied is that Coetzee had a habit of fading after good starts to his fights, and this happened in each of his losses to date. After racking up four consecutive wins against fringe contenders, it was time for Coetzee to step up once more and test himself against a rising contender.

Pinklon Thomas was unbeaten in 20 fights (16 KOs) before he faced Coetzee. His most recent bout had been a win over James Tillis, whose only prior loss had been on points in a world title challenge. Thomas systematically broke Tillis down, and signalled his arrival as a heavyweight contender. Thomas is considered to have had one of the best jabs for a heavyweight of his generation.

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

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

Pinklon Thomas - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/880