R.I.P Corrie Sanders, shot during robbery

Quote :

Former heavyweight champion Corrie Sanders has died after being shot by robbers at a restaurant during a family celebration. He was 46.

Police say Sanders was shot in the hand and stomach at a family member's 21st birthday party at the restaurant in Brits, in South Africa's North West province, on Saturday night.

He died in a hospital in the capital city of Pretoria early Sunday morning.

Sanders (42-4, 31 KOs), a heavy-hitting southpaw who fought professionally from 1989 to 2008, is best known for his massive upset of Wladimir Klitschko to win a heavyweight title in March 2003.

Sanders stopped him in the second round in Hannover, Germany.

Rather than face Klitschko in a rematch, Sanders, who was stripped of his title by the WBO, returned 13 months later to face Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir's older brother, for the vacant WBC version of the heavyweight crown.

Lennox Lewis had vacated the belt when he retired in early 2004. Klitschko and Sanders, who had several lengthy layoffs during his career, waged a pitched battle at the Staples Center in Los Angeles before Klitschko stopped him in the eighth round.

Sanders fought sporadically after the loss to Klitschko, fighting only four more times against lesser opponents over the next four years.

Sanders' true love was golf and he considered pursuing a professional career in the sport.

He retired after being knocked out in the first round by South African countryman Osborne Machimana in February 2008.

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/8416226/ex-heavyweight-champ-corrie-sanders-46-shot-dead-upset-wladimir-klitschko-2003

I will never forget the night Sanders blasted Klitschko and destroyed him. R.I.P Corrie Sanders.

Sanders was a very underrated HW who could have went far had he dedicated himself to the sport.

Ali wrote:

Sanders was a very underrated HW who could have went far had he dedicated himself to the sport.

He hit like he had bricks in his gloves.

timthebim wrote:

Ali wrote:

Sanders was a very underrated HW who could have went far had he dedicated himself to the sport.

He hit like he had bricks in his gloves.

Great handspeed too from someone his size and was tough as nails. Corrie's fight with Vitali was a war.

What a world we live in, enjoying a birthday part and gets shot twice. He will always hold a spot in my boxing memories for what he did to Wladimir