Jacob Matlala
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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 b ...
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 Dem ...
. 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 stat ...
.


Death

Jacob Matlala died on 7 December 2013, at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. 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 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


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