Jacob "Baby Jake" Matlala (1 August 1962 – 7 December 2013) was a South African boxer and junior
flyweight
Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb).
Professional boxing
The flyweight division was the last of bo ...
champion from
Meadowlands,
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
. He won 4 world championship titles. In 2004, Matlala was voted #72 in the "
100 Greatest South Africans" poll organized by
SABC
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's state ...
.
Death
Jacob Matlala died on 7 December 2013, at the
Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital
The Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital is an accredited general hospital in Parktown, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
Size and capability
The main structure was opened in 1979.
The facility has 1,088 usable beds. The hospital's ...
.
The former World Boxing Organisation, World Boxing Union (WBU) and International Boxing Association flyweight world champion had been admitted to hospital on numerous occasions over the past few years with complications related to pneumonia.
Johannesburg – Dressed in royal blue and white uniforms and black berets, the New Covenant Church brass band escorted the coffin of boxing legend Jacob "Baby Jake" Matlala into the Rhema Church auditorium.
Trivia
At a height of 1.47 meters, or 4-foot-10, Matlala was the shortest boxing world champion ever. With a total of 68 fights (53 wins and 2 draws), he ended his career with 4 world championships. He presented his WBU belt to
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
after his fight to Juan Herrera.
[Morgan, Brad 'Baby Jake': small boxer, big heart]
. southafrica.info. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
See also
*
List of flyweight boxing champions
This is a list of world flyweight boxing champions, as recognized by the four major sanctioning organizations in boxing:
* The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA). The WBA often recognize up ...
*
List of light-flyweight boxing champions
This is a list of world light-flyweight boxing champions (also known as junior-flyweight), as recognized by the four major sanctioning organizations in boxing:
* The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Assoc ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matlala, Jacob
1962 births
2013 deaths
People from Meadowlands, Gauteng
Flyweight boxers
World flyweight boxing champions
Light-flyweight boxers
World light-flyweight boxing champions
World Boxing Organization champions
Burials at Westpark Cemetery
South African male boxers