South African welterweight Chris “The Heat” Van Heerden is on a mission to torch his Canadian opponent Steve “The Dragon” Claggett, in their 12-round main event, headlining “Knockout Night at the D”. The Apr. 16th event will air Saturday night, April 16 live on CBS Sports Network from under the neon lights at the DLVEC outdoor venue.
Van Heerden (23-1-1, 12 KOs), fighting out of Santa Monica (CA), has had a 10-year professional career, and has has defeated quality opponents such as Ramon Avila, Cecil McCalla, Ray Narh, Cosme Rivera, Mathew Hilton, and Sebastian Andres Lujan.
“A win over Claggett will put my career right back to where we need it to be,” Van Heerden said. “Winning this fight is my only option! I’m predicting a win, nothing less. Fans watching me fight for the first time can expect to watch a fighter with speed and footwork. I’m a winner who is going to win this fight no matter what.”
Claggett (23-3-1, 16 KOs) is the reigning Canadian Professional Boxing Council and Canadian welterweight champion. “Claggett’s strength is his comin’ forward aggression and that’s how he’s got most of his opponents to give up,” Van Heerden noted. “I know I’ve faced guys with more power. I’m expecting a hard fight, nothing easy, and it will be entertaining.”
The 28-year-old Van Heerden moved to Santa Monica two years ago after he wiped out the top South African fighters in his weight class. He has the strong support of actor Frank Grillo, who has appeared in numerous movies, including Warrior, The Grey, End of Watch, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Purge: Anarchy.
“Frank Grillo is like a father/brother figure to me and he has been since I met him,” Van Heerden explained their relationship. He motivates me on a daily basis. I’m blessed to be around him.”
Unbeaten California welterweight prospect Neeco “Rooster” Macias (11-0, 4 KOs), fighting out of Lancaster, CA, takes on Limberth “Lightning” Ponce, Jr. (10-2, 8 KOs), of Rock Island, Illinois, in the 8-round co-feature. Undefeated welterweight prospect Malik “Iceman” Hawkins (6-0, 5 KOs), of Baltimore, meets Errol Sidney (6-1-2, 2 KOs), of New Orleans, in a 6-round bout to open the television broadcast.
The undercard also features promising Las Vegas-based prospects in four-round bouts: welterweight Jeremy “J-Flash” Nichols (2-0, 2 KOs), featherweight Sal Lopez (2-0) and junior featherweight Randy Moreno (1-0, 1 KO).
