Former South African heavyweight boxer Gerrie Coetzee died on Thursday at the age of 67. His cause of death has been confirmed. Photo Greg Marinovich
RIP Gerrie Coetzee: Tragic diagnosis of one week to live
The manager of former boxer Gerrie Coetzee has spoken of the tragic cancer diagnosis that led to the sudden death of the iconic sportsman.
Former South African heavyweight boxer Gerrie Coetzee died on Thursday at the age of 67. His cause of death has been confirmed. Photo Greg Marinovich
Note: This is an updated article on Gerrie Coetzee
Coetzee died of lung cancer at his Cape Town home on Thursday, having recently received the shock diagnosis.
When speaking to Sport24, Gerrie Coetzee’s manager Thinus Strydom said the cancer was only detected last week when the South African sports icon went to a doctor for a check up related to hip replacement surgery.
“Last Thursday, he went for scans, and it was discovered he had cancer. The doctor gave him a week to live,” Coetzee told News24. “The cancer had spread to the rest of his body and a week later, he’s no longer with us. It took us by surprise, because no one knew he had cancer. The family also decided not to inform him that he had cancer and that he only had a week to live.”
Strydom said Coetzee was battling to recover as well as expected after hip replacement surgery, which led to a return to the doctor.
“The hip just wouldn’t heal properly and there were screws there. His big concern was whether he’d be able to walk again,” Strydom said. “They went back for more tests, from where the cancer was discovered.”
Coetzee competed from 1974 to 1986 and again in 1993 and 1997, and was one of the most well-known South African boxers to lace up his gloves. He finished his career with 40 fights, 33 wins, six defeats and one draw. Twenty one of his victories came via knockout.
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The ‘Boksburg Bomber’ was a former South African world heavyweight boxing champ, and tributes have poured in from wide and far after news emerged about his untimely death.
You can see some of the twitter reaction to the death of Gerrie Coetzee below:
Coetzee was the first boxer from Africa to fight for, and win, a world heavyweight championship, having held the WBA title from 1983 to 1984.
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Gerrie Coetzee held notable knockout wins against WBA world heavyweight champion Michael Dokes and former unified world heavyweight champion Leon Spinks, as well as a draw with then future WBC world heavyweight champion Pinklon Thomas.
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