Ledwaba’s 12-round lesson: the night ‘Hands of Stone’ kept South Africa on boxing’s world map

On March 9, 1997, Lehlohonolo “Hands of Stone” Ledwaba outpointed Italy’s Gian Maria Petriccioli over 12 rounds to retain the WBU bantamweight title. Nearly three decades later, the win still reads like a blueprint for how South African boxing built global credibility one disciplined defence at a time.