A change in the direction of his life led a young Branton Charles Booysen to Eddie Marshall’s boxing gym in Portland a couple of years ago.
Last Friday night, Booysen won his second professional fight. This one, however, was extra special for him as the event was held in honour of Marshall, a world renowned boxing official who passed away in January.
“The build up to this fight was very emotional, it was in honour of Mr Marshall, a guy that saved my life. He introduced me to the sport of boxing and I never looked back again. I was a broken boy from Mitchell’s Plain. He found me and he saw potential in me. At the age of 35 I am still doing this,” said Booysen.
The boxing special, coordinated by Jackie Brice Boxing Promotions, at the Vibrant Sports Studio, in Ottery, last Friday, April 19, ignited a passion inside of Booysen.
He beat Shamzi Mnala, from Tanzania, on points, to make it two out of two in his professional tally.
A couple of years ago, however, this could have all just faded away in thin air.
“I had a very bad temper problem. I would always get into fights. I would always be the one to start the fight wherever we went. One of my friends, (the late) Rufus Richards, took me to Mr Marshall. Rufus said, ‘Branton, listen, I know you can fight, I know you want to protect us all, but come with me one day to boxing.’ I said, ‘okay, cool, let’s go boxing’,” said Booysen.
Richards was a former national amateur boxing champion at the time and he perhaps saw a spark in his friend that nobody saw, except for Mr Marshall.
“I have my own gym and my own business and what I do, I give back to the community. I am so grateful to be in the position that I am because I get to do this. I am chasing my dreams and living my best life. It is about inspiring my children and my people throughout any obstacles in our way. We just have to stay positive and be good people,” he said.
The professional boxer and trainer, at B Boxing Gym, in Wynberg, put on a class act, in Ottery, last Friday.
Booysen went from being a stubborn young lad fighting in the streets of Portland to become a gentleman in the science of boxing.
With manners and respect bestowed to him by family and friends, but more importantly, by his mentors, Booysen dispatched his opponent on points after a fury of body shots in their junior lightweight bout.
In his corner was Mr Marshall’s youngest son, Marlin Marshall, who is equally passionate about growing the community through boxing.
“I was in training camp for a southpaw. My opponent is naturally a southpaw. He came out orthodox and that threw me off very much. But I stuck to the game plan. I went downstairs. I used my head movement nicely to slip in and get him on the inside and just to slow him down on the body. He was bloody, but I was in there for a dog fight, because they are always going to be bigger than me, but I don’t mind, I am from Mitchell’s Plain,” said Booysen.
Booysen has ambitions to move from junior bantamweight to the flyweight division soon. Congratulating him, the commentators also tipped him, saying, at least four fights a year can set him up for the provincial, national and world titles in the near future.
