Tomorrow, 28 years ago, Dingaan “The Rose of Soweto” Thobela’s insatiable appetite which saw him balloon from lightweight to the light-heavyweight division contributed to his failed mission to regain the WBA lightweight title from tough-as-nails Russian Orzubek Nazarov.

That fight took place at Nasrec Arena near Soweto on March 19 1994. Nazarov dethroned Thobela in their first fight at the same venue the previous year.

Thobela was charismatic and that was displayed by the large crowd that always attended his fights in a local ring. His victories here and abroad brought traffic to a standstill.

But it was the direct opposite on the day Thobela failed to regain the world title he won in his second fight against Tony Lopez at Sun City on June 26 1993.  

Nazarov's southpaw stance gave Thobela hell. In fact, he was outclassed and even went down for the count in round eight. The general feeling was that the end had come for the country’s brightest boxing star, whose stakes rose when he won his first world title – the WBO belt – in 1990. 

Asked about March 19 1994, Thobela said he remembers losing to Nazarov. “I just don’t remember the month,” he said. “Ja, I can say good life contributed to my weight issues.

"But I had outgrown the lightweights and I saw it in my second fight with Tony Lopez. I remember going for a run with Jerry Malinga a night before the weigh-in. Remember, I also had a car accident near Regina Mundi Church and my hand was cut badly.”

His new car was written off.

“We tried to speak to the WBA requesting more time to prepare but they threatened to strip me of the title,” he explained. “I fought with a hand bleeding from wet stitches. Look, no excuses, I Iost the fight,” he said.

Thobela moved up to the junior-welterweight division and won his fight against Kenny Vice before moving up, this time significantly to the super-middleweight class where he won the SA title from Soon Botes before winning the WBC belt in 2000.