Welterweight Chris van Heerden has seen his profile raised considerably in the last few months, after his sparring session with MMAer Conor McGregor made the rounds on social media.

You can see the South African looking very comfortable against the UFC standout and making the Irishman look a bit out if his element. That session occurred in May of last year, lasted for six rounds and is being cited by some as evidence that “C-Mac” will have trouble winning one minute of one round on August 26 against the best defensive boxer of his era, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The 29-year-old van Heerden (25-2-1, 12 knockouts) happily takes queries on that spar session but, of course, is seeking to burnish his rep further. He’d like to do that via a scrap and he’s focusing on welterweight contender Lamont Peterson (35-3-1, 17 KOs).

“Lamont is sitting on the couch. He missed his mandatory 120 days deadline,” CVH said. “I’m rated number 11 by the WBA and I want a shot (at the belt Peterson holds, one unrecognized by THE RING magazine. Keith Thurman currently holds the WBA’s recognized title)! It is every boxer’s dream to fight for a real world title and I am in the Top 15. My manager Peter Kahn is offering Al Haymon me versus Peterson, where we will take care of our own purse and Peterson just has to bring the belt! I want to be on the August 26 undercard! Yes, seeing I am the guy that already laid some hands on McGregor, put me on! Let’s go, Peterson! I respect him as a world champion but he has to get off the couch!”

Regarding that McGregor practice session – It was back in May 2016 in Los Angeles, was six rounds and the footage I saw had me thinking it looked like CVH was doing what he wanted when he wanted. This looks like evidence that, in with Mayweather, McGregor will have trouble winning a minute of one round, let alone a full round.

“Very true,” van Heerden continued. “I had fun fooling around and I did not think things would end up coming out in public…until Conor’s team released their own edited version…so I felt it is right to only send some unedited version out last year. If I knew they were to do this, I would have been more serious but we live and learn.”

My take: This call-out reminds us that, over the next 10 weeks, we will be inundated with Mayweather-McGregor news, non-news and trivia. Blanketed by it. But the whole of the boxing world will keep turning and there are other fights on which to keep an eye and other fighters, like Chris van Heerden, who want to make some glorious noise in the game.

Speaking of couches, as true boxing folk, let’s not forget that our couches are most comfortable when real boxing is watched from them. Party at Michael Woods’ couch for all of it!

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