Saturday night at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Gauteng, South Africa, former IBO super middleweight and light heavyweight champion Thomas “Tommy Gun” Oosthuizen (26-0-2, 15 KOs), the 28-year-old southpaw from East Rand, returned after a long hiatus to win the vacant WBA Pan African title by stopping Daniel “Billy the Kid” Bruwer (24-7-1, 21 KOs), from Johannesburg, in the ninth round of a scheduled 12.

“Tommy Gun” been left for dead a little over a year ago. He was beset with problems. Drinking, partying, failing to make weight, pulling out of a WBA light heavyweight bout against Juergen Braehmer—it looked bad and foretold a bad end. But Ooosthuizen checked himself into rehab and fought Saturday night like a man reborn.

He fought like a man ready to take boxing seriously again.

Oosthuizen dropped Bruwer in rounds four and seven before stopping him in the ninth.

“It’s back to serious business,” said Ooosthizen after the victory, “and I want to reclaim the number one spot in the world because that is where I belong.”

This article was penned by the author who is not related to the WBA and the statements, expressions or opinions referenced herein are that of the author alone and not the WBA.