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Sanders may look for rematch
25/04/2004 21:32 - (SA)
Michael Green, Beeld
Johannesburg - Despite losing his big fight against Vitali Klitschko, Corrie Sanders is by no means convinced that he will stop boxing.
Before Sunday's fight in the Staples Centre in Los Angeles for the World Boxing Council's vacant heavyweight title, Sanders said if he were to lose he would hang up his gloves.
Klitschko won the action-packed bout on a TKO in the eighth round after the South African had nearly dispatched him to the canvas a few times with his fast fists.
"After the fight he told me he believed he could beat Klitschko and he wanted to fight him again," said Sanders' manager, Vernon Smith, from Los Angeles.
Sanders was not available for comment after the match as he was in hospital having an ear examined.
Smith said he spoke on behalf of the Sanders camp at the media conference as the boxer had already been taken to hospital.
"Corrie does not want to talk now. He is bitterly disappointed, more so because he realises he could have won. We will have a media conference on Monday where he can speak for himself," Smith added.
Klitschko had praise for the South African and admitted that Sanders' quick and hard right hand surprised him. He could also not belive that some of his hardest hitting could not send Sanders to the floor.
"My right fist was sore early in the fight, but he refused to fall," the giant from Ukraine said. He added that he wanted to fight Lennox Lewis again. However, chances of Lewis returning to the ring are small and it seems more likely that Sanders will get a rematch.
According to Smith everybody was talking about Sanders' performance. At times he had Klitschko at sixes and sevens with his torrid attacks, but in the end he suffered too much punishment in the process.
It seemed as if Sanders had taken the title character of the film Rocky, to whom he had been likened, too literally.
The crowd in the Staples Centre, amongst them actor Dustin Hoffman and boxers Lewis and Evander Holyfield, were on their feet at times when the fighters were exchanging blows.
Sanders was dangerous at times, but in the end he actually ended up resembling Sylvester Stallone's Rocky, as he threw wild punches at the end while his face was bloodied and swollen.
Klitschko was the one who remained wide awake and in spite of being on the retreat he still defended and threw counterpunches.
Sanders will be satisfied with his performance. Few boxers would have remained standing against Klitschko on the night - Sanders won the hearts of many people in doing so.
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- Beeld
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