Floyd Mayweather celebrated us whilst we are still alive - Dingaan Thobela

 Thobela, a former WBC, WBA lightweight and WBO super middleweight world champion, was one of the SA boxing legends who were the recipients of Mayweather’s awards during a banquet held at the Sandton Convention Centre on Saturday night.

Thobela says they are happy to be celebrated whilst they are still alive.

“Boxers should be honoured from time to time irrespective of colour, rate or whatever but of course it has to be done rightly. Floyd Mayweather and his team have put together some kind of arrangement where they can honour legends,” Thobela said.

“We are happy to be honoured while we are still alive not only when we are no more. But of course, it’s got to be in a rightful manner where they say boxers are being honoured in this sense and they deserve it because they fought against the world’s best to represent the country.”

The boxers that Mayweather and the organizers chose to honour this past weekend, were also credible world champions during their different eras, having held IBFs, WBAs, WBOs, and WBC’s world titles. Thobela agrees that it was the Crème de La Crème of SA boxing that was honoured on the night.

“Boxers that are being honoured tonight are boxers of note who have travelled the whole world to go and defend and challenge their world titles. I think it’s great that somebody comes out and say; let’s respect these people,” Thobela added.

“Ofcourse there will be all sorts of angles where one would point fingers and say; why not that one? I mean in the country we’ve got a lot of world champions which made us proud. The Zolani Tete and all the other champions that were not brought in,” he added.

“I think the organisers still need to do more and more research also to make sure that all fight fans deserve the rightful part of being able to honour all the legends.”