Sanders and Rahman both knocked each other down during the bout, and Sanders was ahead on the judges' scorecards prior to the stoppage. He lost by seventh-round stoppage in a slugfest fight with future unified and two-time world heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman. He fought 12 more times over the next five years, including a first-round knockout over former world cruiserweight champion Carlos De León and a second-round knockout over another former world champion, Bobby Czyz. In his 24th bout, on, Sanders suffered his first defeat, to Nate Tubbs via a second-round knockout. Among the fighters he defeated during that streak were Steve Zouski, Art Card, future WBO cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson, and future world title challenger Bert Cooper. He went on to win his next 22 bouts, 14 by knockout. Sanders made his professional debut in 1989 with a first-round knockout of King Kong Dyubele on 2 April 1989. He won the amateur South African heavyweight title four times from 1985-1988. Having been introduced to boxing by his uncle, Sanders finished his amateur career in the late 1980s with 180 wins and 11 losses.

In his youth, he played rugby, cricket, and golf. He had two siblings and was of Afrikaner descent. He died in a hospital in the early hours of 23 September 2012 after being shot during an armed robbery. Nicknamed 'The Sniper', Sanders was a southpaw with a long reach, and was known for carrying formidable knockout power in his straight left hand. He also held the WBU heavyweight title from 1997 until 2000 and the South Africa national heavyweight title in 1991. In 2004, having vacated the WBO title, Sanders faced Wladimir's brother Vitali Klitschko in an unsuccessful challenge for the vacant WBC and Ring heavyweight titles. He won the WBO heavyweight title in 2003 after knocking out Wladimir Klitschko in two rounds, which was considered one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight boxing history The Ring magazine named it the Upset of the Year. Not to be confused with Corey Sanders, another heavyweight boxer with a similar name.Ĭornelius Johannes Sanders (7 January 1966 – 23 September 2012) was a South African professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2008.

Judge ferdi preller