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
Independent UN experts urge Yemen’s Houthis to free detained Baha'i followers
CAIRO (AP) — Human rights experts working for the United Nations on Monday urged Yemen’s Houthi rebe2024-05-21250,000 Afghan children need education, food and homes after returning from Pakistan, says NGO
ISLAMABAD (AP) — A quarter of a million Afghan children need education, food and homes after being f2024-05-21Horoscope today: Daily guide to what the stars have in store for YOU
Jupiter and Uranus are moving towards one another in earthy Taurus; and tomorrow, the Sun takes resi2024-05-21Lawsuit filed over new Kentucky law aimed at curbing youth vaping
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A new Kentucky law aimed at curbing youth vaping is being challenged in court.2024-05-21Sweden beats France, Britain relegated after losing to Norway at hockey worlds
PRAGUE (AP) — Sweden beat France 3-1 to preserve a perfect record at the ice hockey world championsh2024-05-21Thailand urges Myanmar’s junta to free Aung San Suu Kyi — Radio Free Asia
The Thai Foreign Ministry urged Myanmar’s military junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi in a statement2024-05-21
atest comment