LEDWABA FORCED TO RETIRE
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 12 Jul 2007
Former IBF super bantamweight champion Lelohonolo “Hands of Stone” Ledwaba who on June 23, 2001 suffered a brutal beating at the hands of a 22 year old Filipino upstart - Manny Pacquiao - at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, has been forced to retire because of an eye injury.
Super Sports in South Africa reported that Ledwaba who will be 37 on July 27 was scheduled to fight former IBF junior lightweight champion Malcolm Klassen but had to be withdrawn after doctors discovered Ledwaba had a detached retina.
Boxing South Africa spokesman Loyiso Mtya said Ledwaba’s name had been removed from the fight card and “his license withdrawn.” He will be replaced by Edward Mpofu who will meet Klassen in an eight round bout.
Super Sports said the problem was first noticed when Ledwaba was stopped in the ninth round by Ghanaian newcomer Maxwell Awuku in November last year after Ledwaba “ retired in his corner saying he was unable to see properly. “ It was only after he was sent to an eye specialist that the problem was detected.
The South African Boxing Commission immediately revoked Ledwaba’s license and announced that the former three-time world champion would not be allowed to fight again. Ledwaba had lost four of his last five fights and ended his career with a record of 36-6-1 with 23 knockouts.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Crawford Not the First Lightweight to Distinguish Himself at Super Middleweight
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Tue, 16 Sep 2025SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025
By Lito delos Reyes, Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Smarts over power
By Joaquin Henson, Tue, 16 Sep 2025HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
Tue, 16 Sep 2025THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
By Maloney L. Samaco, Mon, 15 Sep 2025A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
By Dong Secuya, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
Mon, 15 Sep 202521-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament
By Marlon Bernardino, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Mon, 15 Sep 2025Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?”
By Carlos Costa, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title
Mon, 15 Sep 2025Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford
By Carlos Costa, Sun, 14 Sep 2025