{"id":96395,"date":"2015-08-09T18:33:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-09T16:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/96395\/ready-for-the-ring\/"},"modified":"2015-08-09T18:28:36","modified_gmt":"2015-08-09T16:28:36","slug":"ready-for-the-ring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/sports-news\/2015\/08\/09\/ready-for-the-ring\/","title":{"rendered":"Ready for the ring"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gerdview boxer Grant Fourie (32) recently claimed the South African junior welterweight championship title.<\/span><\/p>\n

This was after his 12-round fight against Warren Joubert, at the Young Guns Box and Dine tournament, at Emperors Palace, on July 31.<\/p>

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\u201cIt feels great to have won that title, it has been a long journey,\u201d said Fourie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came back to the ring only last year, after I took a year off because I suffered from glandular fever.<\/p>

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\u201cIt is an illness that attacks your immune system, especially if it is flat, and it makes some feel tired, while others suffer with headaches, there are different symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kept getting ill; we would train and I would get very sick and be unable to fight on a continuous basis; it was just better for me to take a break, as I kept pushing my body too much.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt some point it got so bad that I considered retirement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fourie told the GCN that the desire to go back and fight for a title helped him get back on his feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the break I kept watching other fights and I had the urge to go back, because I was never happy, because I never got a title,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my main goal as a professional boxer, to get a title, so it was always grinding me to have a comeback.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Gerdview champion has been a professional boxer for seven years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was an amateur boxer for five years before going pro; I have won a number of South African amateur championships,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Fourie trains at the Hammers Gym, in Boksburg, and is sponsored by DTF Security and Adidas Fight Wear.<\/p>\n

The local fighter also said there are few people and fighters he looks up to, as he believes that, in life, you need to be your own person.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe in self-discovery, which is one of the reasons I did a life coach course,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did the course through York Academy, in Midrand, in 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important, as a person, to know who you are and what you want in life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also co-own an events company with my wife, Monique, but she runs the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fourie offered a few words of motivation to aspiring boxers<\/p>\n

\u201cTrain hard and keep your head off the streets and out of trouble,\u201d he advised.<\/p>\n

\u201cA big thank you to Ho\u00ebrskool Vryburger High School, my former school, for allowing me to do my field work on their premises.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you to friends and family, supporters and everybody who came out to cheer me on when I got the title.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother big thank you to my two daughters, Bree (7) and Demi (3); they are my little cheerleaders at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fourie concluded that winning the title meant a lot to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt goes down to the history books; I have accomplished something that leaves a legacy for my children,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt opens a lot of doors for me, as I would like to go for a world title.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever is up for the challenge and wants to fight me, I am ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

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You might also be interested in:<\/p>\n

Primrose fighter claims title.<\/a><\/p>\n

Great boxing action in Germiston<\/a><\/p>\n

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