FORMER boxing champion Dingaan Thobela has been found dead at his home in Johannesburg after battling with a short illness.
Thobela, 57, united both black and white supporters during his career which stretched from before and after apartheid and he was known as the “Rose of Soweto”.
The icon who grew up in the townships won the WBO lightweight title in 1990 and the WBA lightweight title in 1993 and the WBC super-middleweight title in 2000.
His career stretched from 1990 to 2006 and the boxer from Chiawelo, Soweto, was still cheered on the streets and continued to do charity work to help those in poverty.
When he failed to answer his mobile phone for several days friends went to his flat in Mayfair, Johannesburg, on Monday night and forced the door and found him dead.
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A close friend said: “It was not like him to not answer his mobile phone and his family worried about him accompanied police to his home and found he had passed on”.
His poor health prevented him from attending Boxing SA’s symposium as a star guest at the Arena Holdings offices in Parktown last Friday and he often joked about a “comeback”.
Thobela held 3 world titles in two-weight divisions — the first two being the WBO and WBA lightweight belts in the lightweight divisions early in his career – then went up a weight.
The "Rose" finally bloomed when he won the most prestigious WBC super-middleweight belt in 2000 via a 12th-round stoppage victory over defending champion Glen Catley.
The victory at Carnival City in Brakpan under trainer Elias Tshabalala in his corner sealed Thobela’s place in South African history as one of their nation’s finest ever athletes.
Legend Thobela was separated from his common law wife Sandra with whom they had two children together Ntombi and Dingaan Thobela Junior who he was still close to.
He enjoyed SA support beyond colour lines as his victories outside SA brought traffic to a standstill with wild celebrations in townships and white areas when he became champ.