Baloyi in the league of old-time greats – Thobela

Boxing icon Dingaan “The Rose of Soweto” Thobela says Cassius Baloyi deserves to be paraded across SA for citizens to appreciate his accomplishment as a professional fighter.

“Baloyi is still alive and well to be recognised for profiling SA as a global player,” said Thobela about the 49-year-old retired fighter who remains the only boxer in the country to have won six world titles.

Baloyi won the WBU belts in the junior featherweight, and featherweight divisions, and the IBO and IBF junior lightweight titles twice each.

Tomorrow, 17 years ago, Baloyi won his sixth world belt in front of former president Nelson Mandela at Emperors Palace where he knocked out clean Argentinian Nazareno Gustin Ruiz in the third round on February 3, 2007.

Thobela – a former WBO and WBO lightweight holder – said Baloyi should be glorified more than he has been, being voted BSA boxer of the year in 2008.

“It takes a courageous man to achieve what he accomplished,” said Thobela. “Cassius proved himself locally and abroad that he is in the league of the old-time greats. He never shied away from facing the best of that era.

“I raised the issue of legends not being recognised or even given a role to play with [former minister of sport] Nathi Mthethwa about the sports ministry getting to know some of the country’s sporting achievers, boxers to be precise,” he said.

“All BSA board members of the outgone board were present at a workshop which was attended by Nathi who put it to board members to get in touch with me and have a thorough discussion about what I had raised – dololo – until their term of office expired in December.”

Baloyi from Malamulele, Limpopo, was primarily a rangy boxer who used his jab and superb boxing skills to confound his opponents.

At the start of his career, he was known as “Mr. Shy Guy” but as time went by, it became apparent that he could punch as well, and his moniker morphed into “The Hitman”.

Baloyi, like Vuyani “The Beast” Bungu, is not inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York.

Bungu chalked up 13 successful defenses of his IBF junior featherweight belt but is not inducted yet former WBA junior lightweight champion Brian Mitchell, who defended his belt 12 times, was inducted in 2009.

Thobela said more needs to be done like building a museum where boxers’ history will be kept and displayed for generations to see. “That will motivate them,” he said.

Baloyi has his own gym in Sandton.