/ 30 November 2001

Judgement Day again

BOXING

Deon Potgieter

Dingaan Thobela will be trying to turn back the clock when he steps into the ring at the Molson centre in Montreal on Friday night. He takes on hometown boy Eric “Lucky Luke” Lucas for the World Boxing Council (WBC) super-middleweight world title. If successful, it will be the Rose of Soweto’s fourth world title and make him arguably the greatest pugilist to hail from these shores.

“It’s Judgement Day all over again,” says Thobela, referring to his 1993 super-fight against Tony “the Tiger” Lopez for the lightweight world title. Thobela had previously travelled to Sacramento and out-boxed Lopez, only to be robbed by the judges.

Their return at Sun City was dubbed “Judgement Day” and was one of the most talked about and watched fights in local ring history.

“Dingaan transformed the face of boxing in South Africa,” says renowned boxing official Stan Christodoulou. “He was somebody everybody could relate to. When he fought Lopez, the majority of the crowd were whites. They were chanting and they were there to see justice done. Although integrated boxing started in 1976, it was as if everybody came of age with that fight.”

“Just like when I had to right the wrong that was done to me in the first Lopez fight, I have to right the wrong that was done to me last December,” says Thobela. “Winning this title will not only be for me. The title belongs in South Africa.”