South African boxing icon Dingaan Thobela has reportedly died after illness at the age of 57.
The Sowetan reported on Monday night that Thobela was found dead in his flat in Johannesburg.
JUST IN: ROSE OF SOWETO PASSES ON
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Former boxing champion Dingaan Thobela, fondly known as the "Rose of Soweto," has passed away at the age of 57. Thobela, a beloved figure in South African sports, was discovered in his Johannesburg residence following a period of illness. pic.twitter.com/q0fk59bcHb
According to the report, Thobela’s death was confirmed by childhood friend Eddie Mutungutungu, who said the alarm was raised when his family struggled to get in contact with him.
"He was strangely unavailable on his mobile, and his family, accompanied by police, managed to gain access to his place of residence and found he had passed on," Mutungutungu was quoted in the report.
Born in Soweto in 1966, Thobela won a number of world titles in an impressive career that spanned between 1986 and 2006.
In 1993, Thobela famously defeated American Tony Lopez in a rematch at Sun City to win the WBA Lightweight title.
After hanging up his gloves in 2004, he returned to the ring at the age of 40 two years later to challenge Soon Botes for the South African Super Middleweight title. He lost the fight and never boxed professionally again.
He had previously beaten Botes for the same title in his first fight of the Millennium in Brakpan.
When he hung up his gloves, the legendary Thobela retired with a record of 40 wins from 56 professional fights. Out of those wins, 26 were by TKO. He was beaten 14 times and had two draws.
IOL Sport