Baby Jake Matlala

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“They said I was too small.”

His mother was apparently against his career choice, but his father encouraged it, so from as young as 10 years old, Jacob Matlala was a regular at the Soweto boxing gym frequented by his father.

Fast forward to 1980 and South Africa had a new junior flyweight champion who, at 18 years old, stood at a mere 1.4m. But he was a force to be reckoned with in the sport of giants. With his endearing nickname, Baby Jake soon became a household name in South Africa, associated not only with the sport that made him famous, but also with the work he does for charity.

After he turned professional, it took Matlala just four fights to reach the status of champion, and he went on to take four major world titles during a career spanning 22 years.

To surprise the pint-sized champion at his last fight before retirement – for the WBU Junior Flyweight title against Colombian Juan Herrera at Brakpan’s Carnival City – former president Nelson Mandela attended along with Hollywood actor Will Smith. Mandela did the honours of presenting Matlala with his belt after he won the bout.

This end to a successful career meant Matlala could put more time into his charity work. One of his long-standing relationships is with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation as one of its ambassadors, but the father of two has also been involved in many other initiatives, particularly projects linked to HIV/Aids awareness and prevention.