South African boxer Corrie Sanders got his second championship belt in his career at the age of 37! He did it in a duel with Wladimir Klitschko. The Ukrainian did not lose to anyone for four years and went to the sixth defense of the WBO title. However, by the beginning of the second round, Sanders knocked down Klitschko three times. The fourth fall was fatal for Vladimir and brought the belt to Corrie. Sport tells the tragic story of a boxer who made one of the major sensations of the early 00s.
UN Sanctions
Boxing was not Sanders' favorite sport. Corry was engaged in water skiing, rugby and golf. He really liked the latter, but his father convinced him to try boxing. The fact is that he himself acted as an amateur and dreamed of making a real champion out of his son. The boy quickly got involved, leaving behind other hobbies.
Corry showed incredible results at the amateur level — 180 wins in 191 fights. Sanders did not drag out the fights, most often knocking out opponents with a left punch in the first rounds. Amateur career stretched for 10 years due to UN sanctions. They left South Africa out of international tournaments.
The African reached the professional level when he was 23 years old. Corry was undefeated in 22 fights in a row. He won thanks to incredibly fast handwork and lightning strikes. For this, Sanders received the nickname «Sniper».
In the course of his career, he owned two heavyweight belts: according to the WBU and WBO. The second Corry took just from Klitschko. Before the fight, the experts preferred Vladimir, who was then called the heir to Lennox Lewis. The Ukrainian owned the belt and had five successful defenses.
Klitschko was not ready for the pressure of the enemy. He had never faced such a strong left-handed boxer before. The victory made Sanders a real star.
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"The defeat changed my character a lot. I just got tougher. It made me a better person. That loss gave valuable experience, which led to subsequent victories. Without Corrie, I would not have been able to become stronger,” Vladimir recalled.
Corry didn't want to face mandatory title challenger Lamon Brewster. He quarreled with the promoters and even filed a lawsuit. Sanders eventually lost the title, but got a chance to compete for a new one. The boxer signed a contract to fight for the WBC belt. The rival was Vitali Klitschko, who dreamed of avenging his younger brother.Sanders failed to defeat the entire family. Corry was not ready to resist the Ukrainian, going for a technical knockout in the eighth round. After the defeat, the South African on emotions announced his retirement. However, a year later he changed his mind.
True, the triumphant return did not work. Corry was no longer considered a contender for titles and looked like a shadow of himself. After a technical knockout from Osbourne's compatriot Machimana, Sanders knew it was time to leave. The former WBO and WBU champion finally retired at 42.
In his sports retirement, Corry was engaged in raising children and returned to his beloved golf. He began to participate in professional tournaments and showed himself well. However, a tragic incident prevented him from building on his success.
The murderers received 43 years in prison
In September 2012, Sanders went to a restaurant with his family to celebrate his nephew's birthday. Everything was going great, until in the evening three people in masks burst into the institution. They wanted to take money and jewelry from everyone present. The bandits didn't know that Corry was in the restaurant, so it was a coincidence.They forced the visitors to stand up and raise their hands. Sanders immediately shielded his 15-year-old daughter. The ex-boxer saw the weapons of the criminals and wanted to protect the child. However, luck was not on his side that evening. One of the cars parked near the entrance to the restaurant went off the alarm. This frightened the robbers, panic began. The bandits began to shoot randomly.
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One of the bullets hit Corrie in the arm, and the other hit in the stomach. He managed to protect his daughter. Arriving doctors could not help Sanders himself. He died the next day from his wounds.
The criminals were found. They turned out to be local guys no older than 20 years old who wanted to make quick money. In addition to murder, they were charged with robbery and illegal possession of weapons. All participants in the attack received 43 years in prison. Before his death, Sanders was sued by a former promoter who wanted to sue several million dollars. After his death, he abandoned his claims for the sake of the athlete's family, which was left without a breadwinner.
Sanders was considered a real hero in South Africa. «Sniper» moved sharply around the ring, but could not be faster than a bullet outside of it.