MIDDELBURG – Former flyweight boxing champion Abram Lubisi fondly reminisced about South African boxer and two-weight world champion Dingaan Thobela, affectionately known as “The Rose of Soweto.”
Lubisi, who owns a boxing gym in Mhluzi, Middelburg, shared his memories with the Highveld Chronicle, recalling the time he had the privilege to train alongside Thobela in Soweto. “I remember at Uncle Norman Hlabane’s gym in Soweto,” he recalled. “I learned a lot from the most skilled South African boxer of all time. He was a humble individual who enjoyed assisting people both financially and emotionally, and he was also supportive of me.”
Thobela passed away on April 29, 2024, reportedly found deceased in his Johannesburg apartment on Monday evening at the age of 57. He was laid to rest on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg.
“He often encouraged me not to forget what brought me to Gauteng, and those words motivated me to the extent that I knew I would one day become a champion,” Lubisi shared. “He was the one who congratulated me when I won my first title in 1998, and he told me that victory was just the beginning of good things.”
Thobela had also been a guest of honor at a tournament hosted by Ilanga Boxing Promotion on December 15, 2023 at Banquet Hall. Lubisi revealed that Thobela had agreed to assist him in his upcoming tournament. ” We were calling each other almost weekly with plans to bring him over to our side to help us clinch sponsorship deals for our upcoming professional tournament,” he expressed. “His passing has deeply affected us, and now all our plans will be in vain.”
Thobela’s illustrious career saw him clinch the WBO lightweight title in 1990 and the WBA lightweight title in 1993, among other accomplishments. Moving up to super-middleweight, he claimed the WBC belt with a 12th-round stoppage against Britain’s Glenn Catley in 2000, marking his finest moment. He retired with a professional record of 40 wins, 14 losses, and two draws.
Reflecting on Thobela’s passing, Ndivhuo Nemugumoni, a family member, expressed the profound impact it had left. “We are left with many unanswered questions and unspoken words, though we understand that it is all part of God’s plan. Who are we to question it? To us, you were the Rose of Soweto, but more importantly, you were an ambitious and humble individual,” Nemugumoni remarked during a funeral service before the burial.
