The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a killer blow to the boxing world after it took the life of former world champion Lehlohonolo ‘Hands of Stone’ Ledwaba.
The former South African junior-featherweight champion succumbed to COVID-19 on Friday.
Ledwaba, who was going to turn 50 on 27 July, was an erstwhile International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-featherweight titlist.
He lost his IBF belt in June 2001 when he was stopped by legendary Manny Pacquiao on his sixth defence of the title he won when he outpointed John Michael Johnson in May 1999.
Soweto-born Ledwaba notched 36 victories with 23 of them via the short distance, lost six times and drew once. He also won the World Boxing Union (WBU) bantamweight and featherweight titles.
Ledwaba is the second boxing personality to succumb to COVID-19 in less than a month. Ring official Neville Hotz passed away in May.
