Today marks 26 years since South Africa’s beloved boxer, Dingaan “The Rose of Soweto” Thobela, dramatically captured the World Boxing Council (WBC) super-middleweight title by knocking out England’s Glen Catley at Carnival City.
The historic bout — the first WBC world title fight to take place in South Africa — took place on the day that is celebrated as Spring Day in South Africa.
Thobela’s victory in front of 5,000 fans at Carnival City in Brakpan added a festive atmosphere. It was staged by internationally renowned promoter Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves.
Trailing on the judges’ scorecards and appearing fatigued late in the fight, Thobela turned the match around completely. With a mere seven seconds remaining in the 12th and final round, Thobela landed his signature blow — a left uppercut — to the jaw, and it was load-shedding on Catley.
The victory made Thobela a three-time world champion across different weight divisions, adding the WBC title to his earlier WBO and WBA lightweight titles.
Wild celebrations after the Catley fight took place throughout the night in Soweto, marked by the screeching of tyres — burning rubber, spinning, drifting and doing “doughnuts” in a vehicle to mark a victory, special occasion or festive milestone.
Thobela’s former wife, Sandra, who was part of the crowd, described that evening as the happiest in their lives.
“His son, Junior, was three years old, but he wore that belt and started throwing punches in the air. That was a wonderful moment; we were so excited we even struggled to sleep.”
She described the match-up as being tough. “It looked like things were not coming together for him but he came out fired up in the last round and knocked out Glen Catley,” said Sandra, who attended most of Thobela’s boxing matches.
“I missed the one with Tony Lopez in Sacramento because I was heavily pregnant, expecting our daughter.”
That fight, which Thobela lost controversially to WBA lightweight world champ Lopez, took place on February 12 1993. Their daughter was born on July 30 1993, and she was named Ntombikayise. The direct translation of her name is “fathers’ daughter”.
”We celebrated Dingaan’s win and also our birthday because we share the same month," she said. Thobela was born on September 24 1966 and Sandra was born on September 24 1971. Thobela’s son, Junior, was born on July 31 1997.
When asked what Ntombikayise remembered about that night, she was emotional and said: “He wrote that history to me in 2023 before he passed on the following year and said I must keep it somewhere in my corner. It was quite late in the night, about 11pm.”
On the evening of joy, she remembers Thobela making Junior wear boxing gloves.
“We did not understand how happy he was to come home with that belt … days later we learnt about the significance of the title he won and what he had done for the country.”
Said Junior, tongue-in-cheek: “I definitely would not remember, even if I tried. I did not even know the date. I was three years old. But, ja, he achieved big things in life and thank you for reminding us about what he achieved.”
Thobela won the same belt that Thulani “Sugarboy” Malinga won from an Englishman, Nigel Benn, in Newcastle, England, on March 2 1996. Malinga, like Thobela, was promoted by Berman.
Sowetan
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