Thabiso “The Rock” Mchunu (16-1, 11 KOs), the 26 year old southpaw from South Africa, grew up watching his father, also a boxer, in the gym. Wanting to be just like Dad, Thabiso literally mirrored his father’s moves, leaving the right-handed would-be-boxer with a lefty’s stance.
By the time Thabiso started boxing at eight years old, the southpaw style had stuck – it was too late to make the adjustment back to an orthodox stance.
“I watched him hit the bag and then I started doing my shadow boxing,” explained Mchunu, “I am actually right-handed, but only in boxing am I a lefty because of how I started boxing. Then I just stayed as a lefty. By the time they started to teach me to be a righty, it was too late and they said I must stay a lefty. I think I did the right thing because I love being a southpaw.”
Sometimes referred to as the “200 Pound Mayweather”, Thabiso is not short on confidence. “The Rock” likes the comparison to Floyd saying, “I think it is good for boxing and especially for me to be compared to the greatest boxer in the world. Sometimes I wish we were in the same division so I could face him because I believe I am smarter than him.”
As a 5’11” cruiserweight, Mchunu rarely faces shorter opponents. On Sept. 20, he will face Garrett “The Ultimate Warrior” Wilson (13-7-1, 7 KOs) who is 5’9″; however, this does not seem to matter to Thabiso, “I am a boxer and I don’t really care about the other guy and how tall he is. I make the appropriate adjustments. I can make the adjustments and use my boxing skills and make the other guy come up short.”
After a fight against Julio “Gaspar” Cesar Dos Santos in June was cancelled at the last minute by the local South African promoter, Thabiso took only a short break before returning to training camp to prepare for his fight against Garrett Wilson. Along with his trainer, Sean Smith, Thabiso studied Wilson’s last bout against Czar Glazkov. Mchunu said, “Every boxer is different. He is a pressure fighter. He comes forward. I am expecting a lot of pressure from him but then, at the same time, I am going to be able to adjust. I will take him to a place he has never been before. I will make things hard for him.”
When asked about his predictions for Saturday’s fight with Wilson he added, “I don’t see this fight going the distance but it is going to be an exciting fight. Garrett Wilson is going to try his best, but then I will take him where he has never been. Eventually he will come up short or he will surrender from his corner.”
