Dingaan Thobela
Dingaan Thobela was a South African boxer who competed professionally between 1990 and 2006. Image: WBO website

Home » RIP: Dingaan Thobela – his professional fight record

RIP: Dingaan Thobela – his professional fight record

Dingaan Thobela was a South African boxer who competed professionally between 1990 and 2006. He sadly died on Monday evening.

30-04-24 09:58
Dingaan Thobela
Dingaan Thobela was a South African boxer who competed professionally between 1990 and 2006. Image: WBO website

Dingaan Thobela was a South African boxer who competed professionally between 1990 and 2006.

As sadly reported by The South African website, Thobela died on 29 April 2024.

He was 57.

Thobela was a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBO lightweight title from 1990 to 1992, the WBA lightweight in 1993, and the WBC super-middleweight title in 2000.

Tributes soon streamed in for Thobela as news spread of his tragic passing.

‘ROSE OF SOWETO’

After compiling an amateur record of 80-3, Thobela, known as “The Rose of Soweto”, turned pro in 1986 and won the WBO lightweight title in 1990 after beating Mauricio Aceves.

After defending the belt three times, he relinquished the title and then challenged WBA lightweight title holder Tony Lopez in 1993, but lost a hotly disputed decision.

Later that year he rematched Lopez and won a decision to win the title.

Battling to make the weight, he lost the title in his first defence to Orzubek Nazarov, and lost a rematch to Nazarov in 1994.

He stopped WBF junior welterweight champion Kenny Vice in a non-title fight shortly after that.

Dingaan Thobela later moved up significantly in weight class, and in the twilight of his career in 2000 took on WBC super middleweight title holder Glenn Catley, winning the belt via a 12th-round KO in only his second fight at the higher weight limit.

He again lost the title in his first defence to Dave Hilton Jr via controversial split decision.

The loss to Hilton was the beginning of the end for Thobela, who lost his next five fights, including a TKO loss to Eric Lucas for the WBC super middleweight title in 2001 as well as later champions Mikkel Kessler and Lucian Bute.

Thobela returned to the ring at the age of 40 and after an absence of nearly two years on 27 October 2006 when he challenged Soon Botes for the South African light heavyweight title at the Wembley Indoor Arena in Johannesburg. 

He had defeated Botes back in 2000 to win the South African Super middleweight title.

Many were surprised that the bout was sanctioned as Thobela failed to make the weight and his inactivity and age.

Although Thobela dropped Botes he did not come out for the 10th round.

Dingaan Thobela’s final professional fight record read 56 fights, 40 wins, 14 defeats and two draws.

The SAPeople website extends its condolences to Dingaan Thobela’s family and friends.

DINGAAN THOBELA PROFESSIONAL FIGHT RECORD

FightResultRecordOpponent
56Loss40–14–2Soon Botes
55Loss40–13–2Lucian Bute
54Loss40–12–2Martin Nielsen
53Loss40–11–2Otis Grant
52Loss40–10–2Mikkel Kessler
51Loss40–9–2Éric Lucas
50Loss40–8–2Dave Hilton Jr.
49Win40–7–2Glenn Catley
48Win39–7–2Soon Botes
47Loss38–7–2Cornelius Carr
46Win38–6–2Adrian Walter Daneff
45Draw37–6–2Carlos Baldomir
44Win37–6–1Gary Murray
43Loss36–6–1Willy Wise
42Loss36–5–1Geoff McCreesh
41Win36–4–1Wayne Boudreaux
40Win35–4–1Booker Kidd
39Win34–4–1Mark McCreath
38Win33–4–1Jaime Balboa
37Win32–4–1Santiago Alfonso Ahumada
36Win31–4–1Kenny Vice
35Win30–4–1Andreas Panayi
34Loss29–4–1Karl Taylor
33Loss29–3–1Orzubek Nazarov
32Loss29–2–1Orzubek Nazarov
31Win29–1–1Tony Lopez
30Loss28–1–1Tony Lopez
29Win28–0–1Tony Foster
28Win27–0–1Peter Till
27Win26–0–1Antonio Rivera
26Win25–0–1Amancio Castro
25Win24–0–1Mario Martínez
24Win23–0–1Mauricio Aceves
23Win22–0–1Pascual Aranda
22Win21–0–1Mauricio Aceves
21Win20–0–1Felipe Orozco
20Win19–0–1Francisco Ortiz
19Win18–0–1Francisco Alvarez
18Win17–0–1Danilo Cabrera
17Win16–0–1Fred Adams
16Win15–0–1Mark Fernandez
15Win14–0–1Daniel Londas
14Win13–0–1Brian Roche
13Win12–0–1Mpisekhaya Mbaduli
12Win11–0–1Ditau Molefyane
11Win10–0–1Andy DeAbreu
10Win9–0–1Gerald Isaacs
9Win8–0–1Samuel Boikanyo
8Win7–0–1Elijah Cele
7Win6–0–1Shorne Moorcroft
6Win5–0–1Walter Mpungose
5Win4–0–1George Masango
4Draw3–0–1Peter Mpikashe
3Win3–0David Matekane
2Win2–0Christian Sithebe
1Win1–0Quinton Ryan