Tributes flock in for late boxing hero, 'Boksburg Bomber' Gerrie Coetzee: 'A true champion'

The Sharks' chief executive officer Eduard Coetzee led the tributes as the South African sporting fraternity mourned the passing of former heavyweight champion Gerrie Coetzee.

The "Boksburg Bomber", who won the World Boxing Association heavyweight title when he beat Michael Dokes in 1983, succumbed to lung cancer on Thursday.

Eduard Coetzee, who played rugby for the Sharks, Bayonne and Biarritz, said boxing legend, who was 67 at the time of his passing, was more than a sporting personality to him.

"To the world he was a fighter, to me he was family! RIP Oom Gerrie ????#GerrieCoetzee," Coetzee tweeted.

To the world he was a fighter, to me he was family! RIP Oom Gerrie ????#GerrieCoetzee

Boxing trainer Colin Nathan also added his tribute, saying the passing of Coetzee was a sad moment.

"Sad to tweet the passing of the first South African World Heavyweight Champion Gerrie Coetzee. #Boxing #RIP," Nathan wrote.

Sad to tweet the passing of the first South African World Heavyweight Champion Gerrie Coetzee. #Boxing #RIP pic.twitter.com/IYjWwV9ioQ

Miss South Africa 1974 Anneline Kriel also tweeted her condolences, saying strength to his family in their time of need.

"RIP LEGEND Gerrie Coetzee, strength to his family in this tough, sad time," Kriel wrote. 

RIP LEGEND Gerrie Coetzee , sterkte aan sy familie in hierdie moeilike hartseer tyd. pic.twitter.com/PuRHwZYZxT

ActionSA president and former City of Johannesburg mayor, Herman Mashaba, also offered his condolences, saying Coetzee played a huge role in the promotion of boxing in South Africa.

Mashaba's hair-care product Black Like Me featured regularly in boxing during its pomp in South Africa.

"Saddened to hear of the passing of Gerrie Coetzee, a true champion that put South African boxing