Shervantaigh Koopman will face former champion Brandon Cook on Saturday in South Africa
Shervantaigh Koopman (right) punches Wendy Toussaint. Photo by James Gradidge
Shervantaigh Koopman has built an unbeaten record against decent opponents.
A statement win over the former world champion 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 fight will headline the six-way ‘The Conquerors’ card which will air live on ThrillerTV (5 pm UTC).
Rodney Berman, who has promoted fight cards across South Africa for more than 45 years, hopes Koopman can emerge as a legitimate contender, if he beats Cook in a convincing manner.
“Koopman is the ‘best kept secret’ in the division,” Berman told The Ring Thursday. “That’s the best way to sum it up. Cook is a highly respected fighter with an impressive record. I am confident that the fight will highlight how good Shervantaigh is.”
In her last fight on June 15, Koopman (14-0, 9 knockouts), who hails from Pretoria, South Africa, defeated Wendy Tossaint by unanimous decision. Toussaint’s only two losses prior to the Koopman fight were to Charles Conwell and Ardreal Holmes, Jr., both currently undefeated at 154 pounds.
Koopman scored a unanimous decision over Cristiano Ndombassy in his last fight on November 25.
The 30-year-old Koopman, who has been playing recent fight cards promoted by Berman at Emperors Palace, also won by knockout over Brandon Thysse and Jackson Kaptein. He currently lives in Johannesburg and is trained by Vusi Mtolo.
Cook (26-2, 18 KOs) has not fought since Dec. 2, stopping Luis Vidales Gutierrez in the third round. In his last 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 junior middleweight world champion Jaime Munguia in September 2018.
The fight against Koopman will be his third fight outside of Canada. Apart from Munguia’s loss, which took place in Las Vegas, Cook’s other fight abroad took place in Kazakhstan, resulting in a loss to Kanat Islam.
Elsewhere, Brandon Thysse (16-4-1, 12 KOs) of nearby Germinston will take on Junior Makondo (9-6-1, 7 KOs) of Malamulele, South Africa in a 12-round belt.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has handled boxing in Southern California and internationally since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. They can be reached at [email protected]
