CAPE TOWN - Tian Fick's journey to the South African Heavyweight title has been frustrating.
But all the more reason to savour the moment should his hand get raised on Friday night in his South African Boxing Heavyweight fight against Joshua Pretorius at the Vibrant Sports Studio in Ottery, Cape Town.
It will be the first time since 2001 - when Anton Nel KO'd Jokkie Oberholzer in Parow for the vacant SA heavyweight title - that the Mother City will play host to the most prestigious and glamorous division of the sweet science.
Aside from the significance of a fight of this magnitude making its way back to Cape Town, the tale includes enough drama and side stories that the producers of Days of Our Lives will sit back and watch in envy.
No 1 contender, Fick (8-0) had to wait six months before getting his shot at the then-heavyweight champion, Ruann Visser after Fick cleaned-up his division en route to the top.
When Fick's time finally came, the most bizarre thing in world boxing happened as the 207cm Visser fell out of the ring when the ropes snapped during his warm-up which saw him fall to the concrete floor of the Camps Bay High School last December which saw the fight being called off.
As discussions were put in place for a new date around April, 2020, confirmation of Visser's four-year ban - effective from February 2020 - surfaced after he tested positive for the anabolic androgenic steroid, Stanozolol.
As if things could not get any worse, Covid19 and the subsequent lockdown came into play, and to top that, just one week before the fight - set for November 27, Fick fell ill leaving the fight hanging in the balance before issues with the Bio-bubble concluded that a new date would have to be set.
Today that moment will finally arrive for Fick. “It's been a long time coming. I just want to get in the ring, feel comfortable, get to the third, fourth and fifth round before banging away, throwing some haymakers and get the fight started,” says Fick.
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“I have been thinking about this for three years now, it could have
happened last year, I had to be gracious and let that one go,” he said, referencing the unfortunate incident at Camps Bay High School.
“I've got a worthy opponent now again in Joshua Pretorius (7-4), he will bring it and I will too. I have got a few surprises for him that we've planned, we know he has a plan, too. He will come in to close the distance and get close to me.
“I have been working on my jab, but we have a couple of surprises for him,” said Fick, who at over two metres towers above his opponent.
The fight night which will include six other fights - including the WBF Africa Welterweight title fight between Henriques Lando and Antonio Mayala - and will be behind closed doors due to Covid-19 pandemic regulations and begins at 5pm.