OPINION: Nick Durandt was a legend in the champions' corner

Legendary trainer Nick Durandt, an abrasive and colourful character, made a contribution to South African boxing that cannot be too highly praised, writes Khanyiso Tshwaku

In an interview just before he retired from boxing last year, Nick Durandt refused to part with his recipe for success: "One of the greatest franchises in the world, Kentucky Fried Chicken ... nobody who works there knows the recipe. Why should I be giving advice to various individuals when I have my recipe?" he said.

"I will go down in the history of South African boxing ... as the most successful trainer of all time in this country. If anybody, now or in the next 20-30 years, can achieve what I've achieved in this sport, they will have done well and that's a fact.

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"That's a feather in my cap and that's not me being big-headed. I've produced the most champions in this business and it's going to take a long time for anyone to achieve what I've achieved in this business."

That summed up the eccentric and combative nature of the 53-year-old who was killed in a motorbike accident between Bethlehem and Clarens in the Free State on Friday.

Born in Wolverhampton, England, on December 26 1963 - his father was former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic footballer Cliff Durandt - Nick's brashness was made for boxing.

The sport regularly chews up and spits out its ring specimens, so to survive in the game participants must be thick-skinned and have agile minds. Durandt was a perpetual example of endurance in the game.

In just over 30 years, he produced 30 world champions, 27 international champions and 97 national champions in all 17 weight divisions.

Thulani "Sugarboy" Malinga, Isaac Hlatshwayo, Cassius "Hitman" Baloyi and Phillip "Timebomb" Ndou were some of the fighters who were moulded in his laboratory. With that kind of glittering resumé, he was allowed to boast from the rooftops in terms of being the best ever South African trainer and manager.

He was reviled in the Eastern Cape, and East London in particular. There was a general feeling that he took ready-made boxers from other trainers and promoters in that area without recognising the work that had been put in by them. But he took the criticism in his stride.

Such was the toll the sport took on his personal life that he went through two divorces.

Former International Boxing Organisation featherweight champion Lusanda Komanisi was the last champion to come out of Durandt's stable, in 2014, and he said South African boxing would never see someone like Durandt again.

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"Two or three weeks back, I had a chat with him where he said he wished me more success in boxing, and when this news broke I was shocked and heartbroken," Komanisi said. "However, we cannot fight God's will and the way he wants to do things. It's never a good thing to lose a parent, because Nick was more than a trainer to me. He played a paternal role in my career and I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for him.

"I really feel for his sons Damian and Storm because his children were everything to him. Durandt changed the game and even when he was not around, you felt and recognised his impact on the sport. You could tell he wasn't around. Durandt made changes to not only my life, but my family."

Boxing administrator Dr Peter Ngatane said Durandt had given South African boxing global appeal and was an example of somebody who was willing to invest in his craft.

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"You could either love Durandt or hate him but his presence in the sport was remarkable. His contribution to boxing in South Africa was immeasurable. There has been no one who has been able to fill that space nor come close to his achievements in the sport. He wouldn't allow any boxer to get into the ring if they were not well trained or if they were not fit," Ngatane said.

Durandt's last public boxing appearance was at the Boxing South Africa awards in Durban in January this year, at which he received a lifetime achievement award. That was on top of the many awards he had collected in his career.

His cockiness was still there although he mellowed with time spent out of the sport. He was at peace with his retirement, which let him focus on his love of motorbikes.

His trademark durag, the mullet and the tattoos illustrated his colourful life and time in boxing.

"I once said, don't call me for an award when I have to get up there in a wheelchair or a walking stick," Durandt said. "The next stop is the International Boxing Hall of Fame, but for now, I'm happily retired because I've now left my son to take over the baton."

tshwakuk@sundaytimes.co.za