Trainer Nick nears his 'ton'
Nick Durandt, who has steered 19 boxers to international honours, is within reach of producing a century of champions.
Two of the the Johannesburg-based trainer's fighters will challenge for SA titles in the next couple of weeks. They are lightweight Godfrey Nzimande and flyweight Phumzile.
The charismatic Du Randt, who has trained 19 "world" champions during a 23-year career, reached the 90 mark last weekend when his stable produced another national champion.
Sizwe Sinyabi defeated Mfundo Gwayana to win the SA junior flyweight title in a fight in in Port Elizabeth. Both fighters hail from Mdantsane, near East London, but Sinyabi is based in Gauteng and trained by Durandt.
The 47-year-old Du Randt is a son of a talented former Highlands Park and Wolverhampton Wanderers footballer Cliff Durandt.
Nick's career in sport began at Wits University in Johannesburg, where he was a right wing in the colts football team.
"If anybody told me at that point I would end up a boxing trainer of some note I would have told them they were crazy," Du Randt said on Monday.
He began his career in boxing by sponsoring up-and-coming fighters who shared the same gym where he used to
work out.
"I was at one time what is now referred to as a security guard in some of the better-known Hillbrow joints," he recalled.
"And from being a bouncer I moved to a more reputable form of pugilism. Willie Lock and Willie Toweel encouraged me to become active in boxing.
"A memorable time was the three years I spent working with the legendary Lou Duva in the United States in the 1990s.
"Before I returned to South Africa, Duva gave me a book, The Power of One, with the inscription: This is all about some of the great boxing trainers. One day you will be one of them.
"It inspired me," said Durandt, who has also been an inspiration to dozens of boxers.