By Ron Jackson

South Africa has an illustrious boxing history, but only a handful of books have been written on the life stories of South African fighters.

Three-time world champion Lovemore Ndou who left South Africa in 1995 and now lives in Australia has published a book on his life – Tough Love The Amazing True Story of a Boxing World Champion Turned Lawyer which has added to the 136-year history of South African championship boxing since 12 July 1884 when James Robertson Couper knocked out Joe Coverwell in Kimberley in a fight that was reported as for the South African heavyweight title.

Ndou tells the story of his life as a young boy under the harsh apartheid conditions at the time, of his growing up in South Africa, and his road to winning three world titles.

In vastly poor circumstances he started school at the age of nine and after leaving for Australia he made something of his life through a successful boxing career and hard work, to study and obtain several university degrees and is today a successful lawyer with a thriving legal business in Sydney.

It is a must-read book for all South Africans as it reveals what went on in those dark days and a welcome addition to my collection of more than 1300 boxing books.

Couper published a book Mixed Humanity–A Story of Camp Life in South Africa however this was not a boxing book and only about camp life in the mines at the time.

The book should be available in South Africa next year.

BOXING BOOKS WRITTEN BY OR ABOUT SOUTH AFRICAN FIGHTERS

All those marked with an asterisk * are the only books written on a South African fighters life.

Mixed Humanity–A Story of Camp Life in South Africa by James R Coupar published by W.H. Allen & Co, Limited 1892.

South African Sports by G. A. Parker 1897.

*A South African Boxer in Britain – Experiences of Andrew Jeptha, self-published in 1910 (approx)-Price one shilling. P/b

Kampioene van die Bokskryt by Topsy Smith–published by Afrikaanse Pers-Boekhandel 1946.

Boks is Maklik by Jack Botha and Johan S van Heerden 1947.p/b

The Tribune Boxing Annual for 1947 by Vic D Michelson. P/b.

Sporthelde by Boy Coetzee 1948.

My Baby and Me by Benny Singh–published by Central News Agency 1949. P/b

Spannede Gebeure van die Sportwereld by Topsy Smith–published by Afrikaanse Pers-Boekhandel 1950. (Collection of sports stories which includes boxing)

Fight Boxing Annual 1950 by Bert Fellows and Hank Margolies–published by Sporting Publications (Pty) Limited. P/b

Bloody Noses and Cracked Crowns by Chris Greyvenstein–published by Themar Publishers 1957.

King Kong–A Venture in the Theatre by Mona Glasser 1960.

*Somebody Ring the Bell by Willie Toweel & Peter McInnes–published by Stanley Paul 1961.

*Geen Genade by Robey Leibbrandt – published by Bienedell Uitgewers 1961. P/b. and later published in 1993 as Robey Leibbrandt Vertel Alles in “Geen Genade”.p/b.

My Champions were Dark by Benny Singh–published by Pennant Publishing Company (Pty) Limited June 1963.

Ringside View by A C Parker–Published by Howard Timmins December 1963. (Collection of sports stories which includes boxing)

Stars of David by Arthur Goldman–published by South African Maccabi Council Johannesburg 1963. (collection of stories which includes boxing).

An Eye for an Eye-The Control of Boxing Exposed by Tony Lombard-self-published 1965.p/b

The Brutal Glory by Chris Greyvenstein–published by Buren Publishers (Pty) Limited 1969.

*Robey Leibbrandt–Die rebel by J. H. Le Roux 1976.

*Sporthelde van Suid Afrika-Kallie Knoetze by Neil Steyn–published by Perskor Uitgewery 1978.p/b

*Gerrie by Marshall Wilson–published by MacMillan South Africa (Publishers) Pty Ltd 1979.p/b

The Fighters by Chris Greyvenstein–published by Don Nelson 1981.

*For Volk and Fuhrer–Robey Leibbrandt & Operation Weissdorn by Hans Strydom– published by Jonathan Ball Publishers 1983.

The Boxing Training Manual–printed by Impact Printers by A.R. Court 1984.p/b

Peter Dlamini Boxing Champ (fiction) by Chris Martins 1985.

Goud en Glorie by Pieter Pelser–published by South African Amateur Boxing Association 1987.

*Champ–The Brian Mitchell Story by Rodney Hartman–published by Perskor Publishers 1990.

The A-Z of World Boxing by Bert Blewett–published by Robson Books 1996.

Dark Trade–Lost in Boxing by Donald McRae–published by Mainstream Publishing 1996.

Prince of the Ring – The Naseem Hamed Story by Gavin Evans–published by Robson Books 1996.

Wicked–The Prince Naseem Phenomenon by Gavin Evans–published by Robson Books.

*The Demon and the Angel (Jake Tuli) by Mogorosi Motshumi–published by Viva Books 1999.p

No Punches Pulled by Terry Pettifer–self- published 2000.p/b

*Dancing Shoes is Dead by Gavin Evans-published by Doubleday 2002.p/b

*Baby Jake-The Legend by Theo Mthembu and Jack Blades–published by Printsource. 2002p/b

In Black and White–The Untold Story of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens by Donald McRae –published by

Scribner–Simon Schuster 2002.

Mama’s Boy–Lennox Lewis and the Heavyweight Crown by Gavin Evans published by Highdown 2004.

Kings of the Ring–The History of Heavyweight boxing by Gavin Evans–published by Weidenfeldt 2005.

Trumpets & Drumbeats by Terry Pettifer self- published 2007.p/b

*Rose of Soweto–The Dingaan Thobela Story–by Deon Potgieter-Penguin Books 2009.p/b

The Naked Square by Terry Pettifer–self- published 2010.p/b

Snakes in the Garden of Eden by Norman Canale – Don Nelson 2010. P/b

*Broken Dreams – The Untold Story (Kindle Edition) by Ruben Groenewald 2014

The Double Life of Emile Griffith- A Man’s World by Donald McRae – published by Simon & Schuster 2015.

*James R. Couper – Vader Van Suid-Afrikaanse Boks by Floris van der Merwe – published by FJG Publikasies Melkbostrand.2015 p/b

Champions An Illustrated Encyclopedia of SA Boxing by Ron Jackson 2017.

*Robey Leibbrandt – N’ Lewe Van Fanatisme by Albert Blake 2019.

*Tough Love The Amazing True Story of Boxing World Champion Lovemore Ndou by Lovemore Ndou. 2020 p/b