Great fighters hang gloves together

One was a great South African boxer, while the other was a great freedom fighter and keen boxing enthusiast.

While many around the country were busy mourning their great liberation icon, news that South African boxing great, Jacob ‘Baby Jake, had also passed surfaced. Baby Jake and Nelson Mandela both departed just a mere day apart.

Matlala, who was a four-time lightweight and feather-weight world boxing champion, died on Friday last week after a long battle with pneumonia.

The 51-year-old retired boxer’s passing was also met with widespread shock from sports fans across. Standing at only 1.47 metres in height, the diminutive Matlala was also a revered boxing icon by South Africans. He was the shortest man to have ever become a world champion.

The boxer retired at age 41 after a successful career that spanned over 22 years and amassed over 53 victories out of 68 career fights. Announcing his retirement Matlala jokingly said he was retiring because he had run out of small people to fight.

According to a statement released by the South African Parliament shortly after Matlala’s death, Mandela was also at ringside at Matlala’s final fight. He subsequently presented his World Boxing Union (WBU) belt to Nelson Mandela after the mentioned fight, which was against Juan Herrera in 2002.

As a boxing enthusiast, Mandela was also a boxer in his youth and had since continued to express his affection for the sport.

When he retired, Matlala remained actively involved in the community. He helped raise funds for HIV/Aids programmes and supported the South African Police Service (SAPS) in its campaign to get members fit.
A memorial service was held for Matlala on Wednesday in Gauteng, where many other renowned South African boxers came to pay their respects. Dingaan ‘The rose of Soweto’ and Masibulele ‘The Hawk’ Makepula, who beat Matlala back in 1990, were among the former boxing legends who graced the service.

Fans across the country have also expressed their grief for Matlala’s passing. He is survived by his wife, Mapule and two sons. – Additional information: Sapa