BoxRec

IMOP one of the better and more interesting heavyweight contenders of the late 1970's.
A Big burly free-swinging lumber-jack type looking dude.
Definatelty the most John L. Sullivan-esqe fighter I can remember.
A real throw-back to the Nineteenth century type of pugilist.
That right hand was like a scud missile.

Wasn't Coetzee sort of the senior and superior partner in crime from S.A.? He just sort of faded in his shadow right?

He got outclassed by John Tate in front of his own fans and never got back into contention.

I do remember that, also I thought going in that Knoetze was going to eventually outperform Coetzee career wise, I actually thought early on that he was the better fighter......not the first or the last time I was/will be 180 degrees wrong!

Knoetze just ran out of steam in the later rounds with the fight with Tate,but he was still swinging.
I think his handlers were just to impatient to get a shot at a title and didnt really take the time to develope him.

There is a few Kallie Knoetze fights on youtube.
check out his fight with Denton Ruddock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku2W7LICUxQ

Joe Frazier was to come out of retirement to fight Kallie Knoetze
May 1978 in Las Vegas Nevada,however Frazier contacted hepatitis and the fight was cancelled.

Here is another fight with Kallie Knoetze seen opening another can of whup-ass.
January.13.1979 at Miami Beach.

Knoetze-Bill Sharky

part 1 ,Rounds 1-2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCEK9qwT4nE


PART 2/rounds 3-4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwumfKzfxB8

Knoetze was stopped by Mike Koranicki in a fight in South Africa.

That was the biggest win of Koranicki's career.

I knew Koranicki from Frazier's gym in Philly.

He was a sparring partner for a number of fighters, including Jimmy Young. He was 6'4", had the best possible experience sparring with the heavyweights at Frazier's gym and around Philly. He had a decent jab, right hand, and could fight inside.

I saw several workouts where Benton stopped the sparring to teach Koranicki something and then send him back to resume sparring.

After his win over Knoetze, Koranicki fought Coetzee in South Africa and was stopped in the first round.

Koranicki had some possibilities, but he got hit too much, often completely unnecessarily.

I saw him in a fight in Philly against Jerry Tompkins where he was far superior but then lost his attention and got a bad cut, completely unnecessarily, in a late round--which would delay him for months.

Against Coetzee the difference in level was noticeable. Koranicki came out less than warmed up, and got hit right away by Coetzee, who could punch.

Kornacki went down on one knee, looking like he was poised to get up, but he never did and was counted out.

So his fight with Knoetze was the high point of his career.

He used to laugh and say to me in the mostly black Frazier's gym, "I'm the white hope."

He was an excellent sparring partner for Jimmy Young before the Ali-Young fight, because he was an inch taller than Ali, had a good long jab, and a right hand.

In Jimmy Young's dressing room after the Ali fight, Young said to Koranicki after expressing his surprise at what a poor fighter Ali was, "Mike, you hit me more [in our training] than he (Ali) did."

Wasn't Knoetze managed by Jim Jacobs? Jacobs believed him to be the next Rocky Marciano, if I recall correctly. However Knoetze couldn't get passed the second tier journeyman status. He was dismantled by Tate and others.

I think Jim Jacobs just booked Knoetze's fights here in America.
But some people made a big stink about Knoetze even being here,I think he only fought a couple of times here.

Brutu wrote:I think Jim Jacobs just booked Knoetze's fights here in America.
But some people made a big stink about Knoetze even being here,I think he only fought a couple of times here.

I think he had his US visa revoked for neglecting to mention he had been convicted, while serving as a police officer, of "encouraging" witnesses to change their stories to help another crooked officer who was facing criminal charges.

Knoetzee at Mike Schutte's funeral in 2008

And old opponent Gerrie Coetzee

Do any of you recall what he said to Angelo Dundee after getting Sharkey outta there?

Here is the fight that put Knoetze on the map.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0Q6JuBKMBk

slakka wrote:Do any of you recall what he said to Angelo Dundee after getting Sharkey outta there?

Uh Angee,was that Hall or Oates that I just knocked out?

"Is my makeup smudged?"

My answer to your original post would recall what Lou Duva said about Golota.
"You just wish you had this kid at 18"...applies to Knoetze big time.
At mid point of Coetzeas career he relowed to L.A. and hooked up with Jackie McCoy and showed marked improvement.

South Africa..no place to develop a fighter.

RARE footage of Gerrie Coetzee(14th pro fight)against Kallie Knoetze(8th pro fight).
Oct.30.1976,Rand Stadium Johannesburg,South Africa.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_YYyrAW2Ew

Brutu wrote:RARE footage of Gerrie Coetzee(14th pro fight)against Kallie Knoetze(8th pro fight).
Oct.30.1976,Rand Stadium Johannesburg,South Africa.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_YYyrAW2Ew

Enjoyed that one. Thanks.

If you watch this clip,at about 1:49,you can see some rare footage of the Mike Koraniki vs Kallie Knoetze fight in Cape Town South Africa,
December.19.1979.It was only supposed to have been a tune up for Knoetze,who was going to fight for the WBA title if he won.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBw81A41y_k

bump

Collins2000 wrote:

Brutu wrote:I think Jim Jacobs just booked Knoetze's fights here in America.
But some people made a big stink about Knoetze even being here,I think he only fought a couple of times here.

I think he had his US visa revoked for neglecting to mention he had been convicted, while serving as a police officer, of "encouraging" witnesses to change their stories to help another crooked officer who was facing criminal charges.

The biased US media used to call him "Kallie Knoetze former South African policeman who killed a black child", as if that was his full name.

Rare videos. It used to be just about impossible to find films of his fights. In his big fight vs. Tate, in Sun City Resort, I think it was, he seemed to have tried for an early KO but failed and became exhausted, but he himself said that he was unprepared mentally for that big fight.

According to the TV guide,Gerry Cooney vs Eddie"the Animal"Lopez was to be the televised preliminary
fight to Knoetze vs Sharkey on the CBS Sports Spectacular.
I do remember watching on tv live Knoetzee vs Sharkey however I cant remember if they broadcast Cooney-Lopez.
I think instead CBS gave in to Jesse Jackson and PUSH who were making loud noises and picketing outside the convention center in Miami Beach so possibly CBS spent the time instead to give Jesse Jackson airtime?