SOUTH AFRICAN BOXING LEGEND PASSES AWAY

South African Boxing Icon Dingaan Thobela was found dead at his place of residence on Monday, 29 April 2024. The 57-year-old was reportedly battling with an undisclosed illness. He was found dead in his flat in Mayfair, Johannesburg by family members. His childhood friend Eddie Mutungutungu told Sowetan that the former world champion was found dead after several attempts to contact him went in vain. 

“He was strangely unavailable on his mobile,” Mutungutungu told Sowetan.

“His family, accompanied by police, managed to gain access to his place of residence and found that he had passed on.” 

It is not yet known as to what is the cause of his death.

Thobela (24 September 1966 – 29 April 2024) was a South African professional boxer who competed between 1990 and 2006. He was a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBO lightweight title from 1990 to 1992, the WBA lightweight in 1993, and the WBC super-middleweight title in 2000. Rose Of Soweto, as he was affectionately known compiled an amateur record of 80–3 and turned pro in 1986 and won the WBO lightweight title in 1990 after beating Mauricio Aceves. After defending the belt three times, he relinquished the title and then challenged WBA lightweight title holder Tony Lopez in 1993, but lost a hotly disputed decision. Later that year he rematched Lopez, and won a decision to win the title. Battling to make the weight, he lost the title in his first defense to Orzubek Nazarov, and lost a rematch to Nazarov in 1994. He stopped WBF junior welterweight champion Kenny Vice in a non-title fight shortly after that.