Rugby giant Kobus Wiese pays touching tribute to boxing giant Jimmy Abbott

Former Springbok lock Kobus Wiese has paid tribute to former South African heavyweight champion Jimmy Abbott who died on Sunday evening due to heart failure.

He was 61.

RIP | “MARVELOUS” MARVIN HAGLER DIES

According to Netwerk24, Jimmy Abbott had “difficulty breathing” late on Sunday evening and died at 20:40 at his home in Heidelberg.

Medical help was summoned but was unable to save the boxing legend.

At one stage in the 1980s Abbott was South Africa’s youngest heavyweight champion and ranked No 9 in the world at his peak.

He also weighed around 900 pounds (400kg) after his retirement, but shed as many as 230kg over the last decade.

He retired with a professional record of 19 wins, five defeats and two draws.

Abbott was often spotted in the crowd at Ellis Park watching his beloved Lions play.

Kobus Wiese, who played 18 Tests for the Springboks and was part of the 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning team, also played 128 matches for Transvaal / Golden Lions during his career.

Wiese, now 56, is also not a small man, standing 1.99m (6-foot-6) tall and tipping the scales at 125kg (give or take a few pounds either way).

Wiese took to social media on Monday to write, “Sadly Jimmy Abbott passed away. Everything about Jimmy was big! His stature, his love for the Lions, his devotion to the Lord. Mooi loop my vriend, tot ons weer ontmoet”

Sadly Jimmy Abbott passed awayEverything about Jimmy was big! His stature, his love for the Lions, his devotion to the Lord. Mooi loop my vriend, tot ons weer ontmoet

— Kobus Wiese (@4KobusWiese) March 22, 2021