Jacob "Baby Jake" Matlala (1 August 1962 â 7 December 2013) was a South African professional boxer and four-time world champion who competed from 1980 to 2002. Standing about 4 ft 10 in (147 cm), he is the shortest boxer in history to win a world title. He was a world champion in two weight classes: having held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) flyweight title from 1993 to 1995 and the WBO light-flyweight from 1995 to 1997. He scored high-profile wins against international opponents during the 1990s. He was a hugely popular national figure in South Africa â admired for his fighting spirit and charitable work â and was publicly counted among Nelson MandelaâÂÂs favourite sportspeople. In 2004, Matlala was voted #72 in the "100 Greatest South Africans" poll organized by SABC.
Jacob Matlala died on 7 December 2013, at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
At a height of 1.47 meters, or 4-foot-10, Matlala was the shortest boxing world champion ever. With a total of 68 fights (53 wins and 2 draws), he ended his career with 4 world championships. He presented his WBU belt to Nelson Mandela after his fight to Juan Herrera.