French former boxing world champion Thierry Jacob has died at the age of 59, according to an announcement by the mayor of his hometown, Calais, on Friday.
Jacob, who made history by claiming the WBC super bantamweight title in 1992, earned his crowning achievement in front of an adoring home crowd in Calais, defeating Mexico’s Daniel Zaragoza.
Natacha Bouchart, the mayor of Calais, shared the sombre news on social media. “We begin this day with sad news. Thierry Jacob died overnight, so young,” she wrote on Facebook.
Jacob began his professional boxing journey in 1984 and retired in 1994 with an impressive record of 39 wins and 6 losses.
However, his reign as WBC super bantamweight champion was short-lived, as he lost the title in his first defence against American Tracy Harris Patterson in New York.
The legacy of the Jacob family lives on in the sport. One of Thierry’s sons, Romain Jacob, followed in his father’s footsteps, capturing the European super featherweight title in 2014.
Ex-boxing world champion Thierry Jacob dies at 59
