Sanders began his boxing career with a first round knockout of King Kong Dyubele[?] in the first round, on April 2, 1989.
He won his first 23 bouts, 15 by knockout. Among the fighters he beat during that streak were Steve Zouski[?], Art Card[?], future WBO world Cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson[?] and future Evander Holyfield world title challenger Bert Cooper[?].
On fight number 24, May 21 of 1994, he suffered what is so far his only defeat, at the hands of Nate Tubbs[?], by a knockout in round two.
He fought 12 more times over the next five years, including a first round knockout over former world Cruiserweight champion Carlos De Leon and a second round knockout over another former world champion, Bobby Czyz. But , after his last fight in 1999, he took a long sabbatical from boxing, winning 2 bouts between there and 2003 but fighting a grand total of three rounds on those two bouts put together.
Despite that, the WBO made Sanders a challenger of world Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko[?]. Much talk had been going on everywhere in the boxing world (boxing magazines, shows, etc) about a unification bout between Klitschko and WBC world champion Lennox Lewis. But on March 8 of 2003, Sanders provided most boxing experts with an upset when he dropped Klitschko four times in two rounds to become the WBO's world Heavyweight champion by a knockout in round two.
With that win, Sanders then joined Coetzee and Botha in the short list of African world Heavyweight champions.
His record currently stands at 38 wins and 1 loss with 28 wins by knockout.
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