Kallie Knoetze vs Richard Dunn in a ten round non-title heavyweight bout
Date: September 10, 1977
Venue: Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg
Knoetze stance: orthodox
Dunn stance: southpaw
Kallie Knoetze's time in the amateur ranks is probably best remembered for the six fights he had with future WBA heavyweight champion Gerrie Coetzee. These South African fighters shared three wins each, before a decider in the pro ranks in 1976 went to Coetzee on points. That left Knoetze with a modest record of 6-2. He regrouped, and won six fights over eight months.
Next up was Richard Dunn. Born in January 1945, Dunn was an all round hard man. He served as a paratrooper in the British army, and didn't turn pro till his mid 20s. Dunn continued his day job as a scaffolder, and rarely sparred as he couldn't afford the partners. His pro career got off to a dreadful start when he was stopped in the first round by Danny McAlinden. For the next five years, Dunn fought at domestic level, winning 26 out of 31 fights. He stepped up a level or two and was stopped in eight rounds by Jimmy Young.
Dunn persevered, despite losing his next two fights, and won his next seven bouts, picking up the British, Commonwealth and European titles. This run of success earned Dunn a shot at Muhammad Ali's titles just six weeks after winning the European crown. While Dunn only lasted five rounds against Ali in Munich in May 1976, he showed a lot of heart. Five months later, he lost his titles to Joe Bugner inside the first round. He stayed out of the ring for 11 months before facing Knoetze.
For an in depth look at their respective records, visit:
Kallie Knoetze - https://boxrec.com/en/boxer/254
Richard Dunn - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/9391
Please note the commentary for this video is in Afrikaans
