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Thomas Oosthuizen vs. Juergen Braehmer is off the table once again, and this time, it looks like it's for good. The former's promoter has cancelled the fight due to Oosthuizen's issues in training.
Trainer Harold Volbrecht said the troubled Oosthuizen was having a nightmare training camp.
"I pull him out of bars, I bail him out of police stations, I get him out of street fights," he revealed. "My wife Michelle and I feel betrayed. We’ve tried for so long to keep him on the right road. As soon as he comes right, he veers off again. We’ve looked after him daily, doing the things his parents should be doing…he could have become one of the greatest in South African boxing, but he’s wasted everything. We’ll always wonder what might have been."
Promoter Rodney Berman was not quite as civil with his assessment.
"This is the final nail in the coffin – Tommy’s finished as a fighter. I can’t see him having another fight. The stark reality is he’s both a drug addict and an alcoholic who is beyond any help.
"There are massive repercussions. Harold has been destroyed by this turn of events. Many people are angry and disappointed. I am duty-bound to inform the World Boxing Association of this situation, I can’t sweep this under the carpet. There are far more deserving boxers who should be rated."
A hand injury to Braehmer caused the fight's first delay.
Oosthuizen (25-0, 12 KO) was once one of the top super middleweight prospects in the game, but never quite managed to take the final step. He moved up to 175 two years ago, where he picked up the IBO title in a fight with countryman Ryno Liebenberg, but then lost the title on the scale in his first defense.
This is, sadly, an all-too-familiar story in this sport and it's disheartening to see Oosthuizen's career collapse when he's only twenty-seven. I respect his team for removing him from the fight rather than sending him in to get hurt and I appreciate their honesty about the whole situation. All we can hope for is that this gets through to "Tommy Gun."