Chris van Heerden

Chris van Heerden is a South African professional boxer who was born on June 19th, 1987. The boxer has had a successful career in the sport, with a record of 28 wins, three losses, one draw, and one no-contest. He is also known by his nickname "The Heat". Let's take a closer look at his professional career.

Early Career

Van Heerden made his professional boxing debut against Lucky Mavimbela at the age of 19 on September 6, 2006, defeating Mavimbela via 2nd round TKO. He went on to win seven more consecutive fights after the debut, which included six wins via stoppage.

Van Heerden quickly emerged as a top fighter in the African continent, and snapped up South African and ABU welterweight titles. He suffered his first loss in the professional ring to Serbian Ivica Stevanovic for IBF Inter-Continental light middleweight title in 2010. This fight, however, did not stop him from rising to success. In 2009 he prevailed over fellow South African Kaizer Mabuza and gained IBO welterweight belt. He managed to defend his belt twice, against Sebastián Andrés Luján and Matthew Hatton.

Winter 2013 saw van Heerden relocate to the United States. The move meant that he had been forced to relinquish his status as the International Boxing Organisation's champion but it was a move that he considered to pave the way to higher honors in future.

Major Fights

Van Heerden vs. Spence Jr

In 2015, van Heerden faced rising prospect Errol Spence Jr. Despite taunting Spence Jr numerous times throughout the fight, van Heerden was dominated by Spence Jr and dropped twice before the referee had seen enough and decided to stop the fight in round eight.

Van Heerden vs. Ennis

In December 2020, van Heerden fought Jaron Ennis. Ennis was ranked #7 by the WBO, #10 by the IBF and #12 by the WBC at welterweight. After a clash of heads in the first round, van Heerden suffered a severe cut on his forehead which prompted the referee to stop the fight early, ending the fight with a no-decision outcome.

Van Heerden vs. Benn

On April 16, 2022, Van Heerden challenged undefeated prospect Conor Benn for the WBA Continental Welterweight title. He lost by 2nd-round TKO after being dominated and got brutally knocked down in Round 2, where the referee stopped it.

Personal Life

Van Heerden currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Career Summary

Van Heerden's professional boxing record is currently at 28-3-1, which includes 12 knockout wins and two losses via knockout. He is on a one-fight losing streak. He has never had a title fight or defended any titles, but has held the ABU and IBO welterweight titles. Some of Heerden's best fights and notable victories include wins over Cosme Rivera, Matthew Hatton, Sebastián Andrés Luján, Kaizer Mabuza, Page Tshesane, Bongani Mwelase, and Mahonri Montes.

Van Heerden has suffered three losses in his professional boxing career so far — all of them in non-title bouts. He suffered his first loss against Nikola Stevanović via 12 round split-decision on May 29, 2010, which ended his 14-fight win streak. He has been stopped two times and lost once via decision. Van Heerden's most recent fight was a non-title bout against British boxer Conor Benn on April 16, 2022. He lost the fight via 2nd round TKO. It's been 11 months and 15 days since this fight.

Conclusion

Chris van Heerden has had a successful boxing career, despite not having any title fights or title defenses. He is known for his ability to win fights via knockout or decision, and has notable victories over some of the best boxers in the welterweight division. Van Heerden is a skilled boxer and continues to train hard for his next fight, despite his recent loss to Conor Benn. Fans around the world watch eagerly to see what's next for "The Heat".

Chris van Heerden Fight Record