South African boxer Dingaan Thobela, 'The Rose of Soweto,' dies aged 57
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African boxer Dingaan Thobela, a two-weight world champion known as “The Rose of Soweto,” has died, the ministry of sports said on Tuesday. He was 57.
Thobela won the WBO lightweight title in 1990 and the WBA lightweight title in 1993, when he beat American Tony Lopez in a rematch. He moved up to super-middleweight and beat Britain’s Glenn Catley for the WBC belt with a 12th-round stoppage in 2000, his finest moment.
He finished with a professional record of 40 wins, 14 losses and two draws.
Thobela hailed from the famed Johannesburg township of Soweto and was widely popular in his home country as his rise coincided with South African boxing’s heyday in the 1980s and 1990s.
He was one of several world-class Black fighters to emerge during the last years of apartheid, when boxing was one of the few South African sports to allow Black athletes to compete on the world stage and gain international recognition.
Related articles
Uber and Lyft say they'll stay in Minnesota after Legislature passes driver pay compromise
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Uber and Lyft plan to keep operating in Minnesota after the state Legislature2024-05-21'Love in Nanning' concert unites singles for a romantic evening
On Tuesday evening, Xiao (a pseudonym) attended a music concert for single people in Nanning, the ca2024-05-21Event to promote love of reading to be held in Kunming
A child selects books at the "Banshan Huayu" library in Qiunatong Village in southwest Chi2024-05-21AU officials laud China's support to promote health in Africa
Officials of the African Union Commission (AUC) have lauded Africa-China cooperation in the health s2024-05-21- Kid Rock wielded a gun, hurled racial slurs, and instigated a physical altercation with a reporter,2024-05-21
Hezbollah praises Iranian attack on Israel
Lebanon's Hezbollah on Sunday "congratulated" Iran on its overnight "unprecedente2024-05-21
atest comment