Gerrie Coetzee, a former heavyweight champion who fought many contenders and champions during the late 1970s and 1980s, died Thursday in his home country of South Africa.
Coetzee, 67, died after a very brief battle with cancer, his daughter, Lana, informed IOL Sport, a South African publication.
“We found out that he had cancer last week,” Lana Coetzee told IOL Sport. “Everything happened so quick. It was an aggressive form of cancer.”
Coetzee is survived by his wife, Rina, three children and seven grandchildren, according to IOL Sport.
A native of Boksburg, South Africa, Coetzee was most known for knocking out American Michael Dokes in the 10th round of their September 1983 fight at Richfield (Ohio) Coliseum to win the WBA heavyweight title. Coetzee, who was nicknamed “The Boksburg Bomber,” entered the ring as a big underdog against Dokes.
Coetzee, whose win is considered one of the greatest achievements in South Africa’s sporting history, lost his WBA belt in his first title defense. Another American, Greg Page, knocked out Coetzee in the eighth round of that December 1984 fight at Superbowl, a concert venue in Sun City, South Africa.
At 24, Coetzee legitimized himself as a heavyweight contender by knocking out former champion Leon Spinks in the first round of a bout that took place in June 1979 in Fontvieille, France. Coetzee knocked Spinks to the canvas three times before their fight was stopped.
Spinks had lost only his immediate rematch to Muhammad Ali before Coetzee knocked him out.
Mike Weaver knocked out Coetzee in the 13th round of Coetzee’s second shot at the WBA championship in October 1980 at Superbowl. His first shot at the WBA belt resulted in a 15-round, unanimous-decision loss to American John Tate in October 1979, which drew an estimated crowd of 86,000 to Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa.
The 6-foot-3 Coetzee retired following a first-round knockout loss to England’s Frank Bruno in March 1986 at Wembley Arena in London. Coetzee came back in 1993, but he retired for good following a 10th-round knockout loss to Iran Barkley in June 1997 at The Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California.
Coetzee, who was promoted by Don King, finished his career with a record of 33-6-1, including 21 knockouts. A legend in South Africa, Coetzee occasionally promoted boxing shows there from 1988 until 2012.
Outside of the ring, Coetzee used his expansive platform to openly oppose apartheid in his home country. Filming of a movie about Coetzee’s life, entitled “Against All Odds,” is scheduled to conclude by the end of this year.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.