By Ron Jackson
South African boxing has an illustrious history in world championship boxing since 1924 Olympic gold medallist Willie Smith won the British version of the world bantamweight title after he had outpointed Teddy Baldock over 15 rounds at the Royal Albert Hall in London on October 6, 1927.
At present, there are only two fighters in South Africa, Ayanda Nkoisi and Ayanda Ndulani, who have a claim to some sort of a minor world title.
Nkosi (14-1, 8 KOs) won the vacant World Boxing Federation lightweight belt on September 28, 2019, with a seventh round stoppage win over the very ordinary Emanuel Lopez (30-11-1). He has not made a defense of the belt.
Ndulani (12-2-1, 4 KOs), the only other South African to hold a “world” belt, won the vacant IBO minimumweight belt on May 21, 2021, when he stopped the weight-drained Nkosinathi Joyi at 1 minute 31 seconds into the fourth round. He subsequently made a successful defense against Siphamandla Baleni (18-3-2) on a split decision.
Neither of these two fighters would be in contention for one of the main organization belts.
On 31 May 1950 at the Wembley Stadium in Johannesburg more than 20 000 people saw Vic Toweel climb through the ropes to the strains of Sarie Marais, where in only his 14th professional fight he became South Africa’s only real world champion to date when he outpointed the battle-hardened 114-fight veteran Manuel Ortiz over 15 rounds for the universal world bantamweight title. At the time there were only eight world champions and eight weight divisions.
Since Toweel no other South African has come close to having a claim to being the universal world champion.
Including Smith and Toweel, 86 South African fighters have won one or another version of a world title.
South African fighters have made claim to 45 of the so-called major titles (WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF), with 41 obtaining minor world belts.
MULTIPLE WORLD CHAMPIONS
There are a number of South Africans who have won more than one belt
TWO TITLES
Brian Mitchell: WBA (September 27, 1986) junior lightweight, IBF (September 13, 1991) junior lightweight.
Peter Malinga: WBU (July 30, 1997) welterweight, IBO (October 22, 1999) welterweight.
Sebastiaan Rothman: WBU (September 24, 1999) cruiserweight, IBO (October 26, 2002) cruiserweight.
Corrie Sanders: WBU (November 15, 1997) heavyweight, WBO (March 8, 2003) heavyweight.
Vuyani Bungu: IBF (August 20, 1994) junior featherweight, IBO (February 6, 2004) featherweight.
Thomas Mashaba: IBO (May 22, 2004) junior featherweight, IBO (June 25, 2005) featherweight.
Silence Mabuza: IBO (March 2, 2002) bantamweight, IBO (May 12, 2007) bantamweight.
Zolile Mbityi: IBO (October 22, 1999) flyweight, IBO (May 31, 2008) IBO super flyweight.
Francois Botha: IBF (December 9, 1995) heavyweight, WBFoundation (February 6, 2009, heavyweight.
Bongani Mwelase: WBF (October 10, 2008) welterweight, WBF (August 7, 2009) junior middleweight.
Simphiwe Nongqayi: WBF (December 15, 2006) junior bantamweight, IBF (September 15,2009) junior bantamweight.
Mlungisi Dlamini: WBF (March 9, 2007) lightweight, IBO (October 31, 2009) lightweight.
Nkosinathi Joyi: IBO (November 4,2006) strawweight,IBF (March 26,2010) mini flyweight.
Mzonke Fana: IBF (April 20, 2007) junior lightweight, IBF (September 1, 2010), junior lightweight.
Ali Funeka: WBF (November 19, 2011) junior welterweight, IBO (November 15, 2014, welterweight.
Tommy Oosthuizen: IBO (March 26, 2011) super middleweight, IBO (March 14, 2015), light heavyweight.
Lwandile Sityatha: WBF (May 31, 2014) super flyweight, IBO (July 18, 2014), super flyweight.
Xolisani Ndongeni: IBO (November 28, 2015) lightweight, WBF (April 6, 2018), lightweight.
THREE TITLES
Mbulelo Botile: IBF (September 29, 1995) bantamweight, IBF & IBO (December 16, 2000) featherweight.
Thulani Sugarboy Malinga: WBC (March 2, 1996) super middleweight, WBC (December 19, 1997) super middleweight, WBF (May 6, 1998) super middleweight.
Dingaan Thobela: WBO (September 22, 1990) lightweight, WBA (June 26, 1993) lightweight, WBC (September 1, 2000) super middleweight.
Masibulela “Hawk” Makepula: WBU (September 22, 1998) junior flyweight, WBO (February 10, 2000) junior flyweight, IBO (January 26, 2002) flyweight.
Lehlohonolo Ledwaba: WBU (November 17, 1996) bantamweight, IBF (May 29, 1999) junior featherweight, WBU (July 27, 2002) featherweight.
Mzukisi Sikali: WBU (November 8, 1996) junior flyweight, WBU (August 1, 1998) junior bantamweight, IBO (September 14, 2002) flyweight.
Isaac Hlatshwayo: IBO (August 31, 2005) lightweight, IBO (May 12, 2007) welterweight, IBF (August 1, 2009) welterweight.
Takalani Ndlovu: IBO (November 4, 2005) junior featherweight, WBFoundation (March 20, 2009) featherweight, IBF (March 26, 2011) junior featherweight.
Lovemore Ndou: IBF (February 4, 2007) junior welterweight, IBO (July 11, 2009) welterweight, WBFoundation (August 10, 2012) welterweight.
Simphiwe Vetyeka: IBO (July 11, 2009), bantamweight, IBO (April 14, 2013) featherweight, WBA (December 6, 2013) featherweight.
Zolani Tete: WBFoundation (September 23, 2007) flyweight, IBF (July 18, 2014) junior bantamweight, WBO (April 22, 2017) bantamweight.
Moruti Mthalane: IBF (November 20, 2009) flyweight, IBO (March 15, 2014) flyweight, IBF (July 15, 2018) flyweight.
FOUR TITLES
Jacob Matlala: WBO (May 15, 1993) flyweight, WBO (November 18, 1995) light flyweight, IBA (July 18, 1997) junior flyweight, WBU (February 17, 2001) junior flyweight.
Gideon Buthelezi: IBO (June 19, 2010) strawweight, IBO (June 27, 2011) junior flyweight, IBO (November 10, 2012), junior bantamweight, IBO (December 18, 2015) junior bantamweight.
Malcolm Klassen: IBF (November 4, 2006) junior lightweight, IBF (April 18, 2009) junior lightweight, WBF (November 19, 2011) junior lightweight, IBO (August 5, 2016) junior lightweight.
FIVE TITLES
Zolani Marali: IBO (July 11, 2003) junior featherweight, WBFoundation (September 8, 2006) junior featherweight, WBFoundation (November 2, 2007) junior lightweight, IBO (April 2, 2009) junior lightweight, WBFederation (December 8, 2012) junior welterweight.
SIX TITLES
Cassius Baloyi: WBU (November 15, 1996) junior featherweight, WBU (April 24, 1998) featherweight, IBO (April 19, 2002) junior lightweight, IBF (May 31, 2006) junior lightweight, IBO (February 3, 2007) junior lightweight, IBF (April 12, 2008) junior lightweight.
EIGHT TITLES
Hekkie Budler: IBO (February 27, 2010) junior flyweight, IBO (September 24, 2011) strawweight, WBA (January 8, 2014) minimumweight, WBA “super” (January 20, 2016) minimumweight, IBO (February 4, 2017) light flyweight, WBA/IBF/Ring magazine titles – 6th/7th/8th (May 20, 2018) light flyweight.
Only two South Africans, Vic Toweel and Hekkie Budler, have been awarded Ring magazine belts. The Ring magazine belts have not been included in the number of titles won.
Through a totally criminal, corrupt and incompetent enterprise called the ANC, South Africa is a country headed for disaster. The country has a racial obsession so perverted it has engulfed the country to a point where those structures that work are actively being destroyed and the boxing scene is no different. The Government played a big role in appointing people with absolutely no boxing experience and knowledge into leadership positions at Boxing SA. After 28 years of Black rule, not a single Black boxing promoter has taken the reigns and the opportunity. Why? The political leaders keep telling Black people that they are ‘victims’ and instead of an opportunistic, forward-looking population, you have people engulfed in the past while their leaders milk the state and compromise key institutions. Just this week the President was alleged to have hidden US dollars from cattle sales around his farmhouse which was then robbed. The President did not report the crime to the police (nor the dollar proceeds to the tax authorities?) yet his henchmen found the culprits and interrogated them and then paid them off. This man is a billionaire who benefitted from the most racist laws in the world to make his billions without developing a single business. A tragedy for the ages and boxing will just be a small side-note.
This is lies/propaganda from the West. What you wrote is hearsay and was never proven. US politicians, and citizens, have enough problems and moral issues to have the gumption to sound off and look down on any other country.
I’m not from the West and my comments reflect my personal views – I can think for myself! Plus, you can free yourself from your ignorance and do some homework. Finally, if not your truth please tell me what your truth is as it relates to South Africa?
Ron Jackson, thanks so much for sharing your historical knowledge of SA boxing. And the stories and keeping us up to date even on current boxing. I saw you years ago, about 1999, at a mall the morning. Did not want to bother you to just say hi and thanks, wish I did.
Hard to make anything work in SA since the days the so called ‘liberators’ took over. The more the ‘colonialists’ were pushed back out the more things went backwards. Had to happen to be humanly fair probably, but such a shame everything that was working could not just carry on working.
Politics aside, Rugby works in SA, the talent of the players are on international level, so the public wants to see their matches. The TV broadcaster pays to show their matches, the players still get paid well, which attracts more young and talented local players into the sport.
Still very good talent in SA boxing but not anywhere as much as in the earlier years. Our weak SA Rand vs e.g. strong US $ makes it so expensive for our fighters – To pay good international boxers to fight in SA or expensive for our SA boxers to travel, accommodation overseas.
SA is a prime example of what happens when communists take over. Everything falls apart, including the once-thriving boxing scene.
Not sure anyone knew there was any.
Excellent work by the authority on the history of South African boxing. The definitive list by Ron Jackson
What? You did not mention Phillip Holiday, Welcome Nceita, and Matala all of whom were world champs along with some viable and worthy contenders like Muchunu.
Tough to get all 3 names wrong but somehow you did it!