The day Baloyi stunned boxing world to claim WBU title

Today marks 28 years since Malamulele in Limpopo produced its first world champion – when Cassius “Hitman” Baloyi captured the World Boxing Union (WBU) junior featherweight belt in 1996.

Baloyi, who was ushered to battle by the late Nick “Mthakathi” Durandt, was named after Cassius Marcellus Clay, who converted to Islam and was baptised as Muhammad Ali.

Baloyi the fight fraternity at The Coliseum in St Petersburg, Florida, with his proficiency. All three judges of his junior featherweight title fight against Frank Toledo had no option but to declare him the winner. 

“The then Gazankulu government organised a big party to welcome me for winning the world title,” he said.

Limpopo had not had a world champion, and there was no trainer of the amateurs before Baloyi’s father, Erick Baloyi took it upon himself to hone the skills of young men to join the sport of boxing. “They broke down the shower room and my dad used it as a boxing gym with one punching bag,” said Baloyi, who began training at the age of eight.

“My weight was 28kg, fighting at mosquito weight. I was very fat but actually a better amateur than in the professionals.”

Heavyweight contender Peter "Sniper" Smith - who was a member of Sanabo team at that time - use to call Baloyi  "Hands of Stone".

“I used to knock people out a lot and my teammates in Limpopo used to call me TKO,” said Baloyi, who remains the only fighter in SA to win six world titles in three weight divisions. “I was very happy to be recognised by my own people.”

The accomplished 50-year-old trains private clients in Sandton. The soft-spoken former boxer once honed the skills of Renson “Bagdad” Hobyane, who came too short against Rowan Campbell for the vacant SA super middleweight title in 2018.

Baloyi was involved in a near-fatal car crash in 2016 and was hospitalised for two months. He suffered a stroke but has since fully recovered and ran the recent Soweto Marathon.

“My dream still stands and that is to produce just one gold medallist in the Olympics because I was denied that opportunity when I had qualified to to participate in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992,” he said.

His 83-year-old father still trains aspirant amateur fighters. Baloyi retired in 2012 with a record of 19 knockouts in 37 wins against eight losses.

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