Corrie Sanders fighting back in 2004
Photo: Getty Images
Former boxing champ Corrie Sanders, best known for beating Wladimir Klitschko in a heavyweight bout in 2003, has been shot dead while attending a family gathering in a restaurant.
Sanders took bullets to the stomach and hand while present at the 21st birthday celebration at Brits, a town in the North West Province of his native South Africa on Saturday evening, according to police.
He was pronounced dead at a hospital in Pretoria on Sunday. He was 46 years of age.
Three men walked into the restaurant armed, looking only to steal money but fired shots at random, which struck Sanders. All others in the vicinity were unhurt.
A murder investigation is underway.
Sanders quit boxing back in 2008, boasting a 42-4 fight record, including 31 knockouts, most notably of Klitschko.
He was a WBO and WBU champion.