Gerrie Coetzee, former WBA heavyweight champ, dies at 67

Published January 13, 2023 4:41 AM

By GERALD IMRAY
AP Sports Writer

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Former South African boxer and WBA heavyweight champion Gerrie Coetzee has died. He was 67. His former manager says Coetzee died on Thursday. His death comes just over a week after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Coetzee defied some of his country’s racist laws during the height of apartheid in the 1970s and 1980s and won popularity with Nelson Mandela and both Black and white fans. He was the first African boxer to win a world heavyweight title when he knocked out American rival Michael Dokes in the 10th round of their fight in Richfield, Ohio, in 1983 to claim the WBA belt.

Article Topic Follows: AP National Sports

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