Africa boasts a remarkable and diverse sporting history, with many accomplishments across various sports. Among these, boxing stands out as a particularly popular and celebrated sport in the nation. South Africans have witnessed tremendous success through the remarkable achievements of their famed boxers who have represented the country in the ring. For its major fights, the sport attracts a large audience, with many fans relying on the trustworthy South African online betting sites at africa-bet.com for competitive odds. In this article, we will take a look at some of the most successful boxers in South African history.
Brian Mitchell
There are few more celebrated South African boxers in history than Brian Mitchell, as he achieved world championship glory during his career, before sharing his skills to enable a future world champion from South Africa to achieve his goal. Mitchell’s professional career started in 1981, before he suffered his one, and only professional defeat against Jacob Morake in May 1982.
He would later land the South African super-featherweight title in April 1983, before successfully defending the title on eight occasions. Mitchell would finally get a shot at the world gold in September 1986, as he defeated Alfredo Layne via a stunning tenth-round KO. Mitchell successfully defended the WBA title with victories over Jim McDonnell, Jackie Beard, and Danilo Cabrera, before adding the IBF title to his collection in 1991 with a unanimous decision win over Tony Lopez.
Vic Toweel
Vic Toweel was one of the earliest South African world champions and holds the record as the official first person from the country to win a world championship in boxing. Throughout his career, he battled on 32 occasions in the ring, landing victories on 28 occasions, with 14 wins coming by KO.
Toweel came from a highly talented boxing family, with his younger brother Willie winning an Olympic bronze medal, and Jimmy being a national champion. Vic finally won world championship gold in May 1950, as he defeated Manuel Ortiz on points to land the NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring bantamweight titles. He would successfully defend the titles on five occasions, which includes victories over Peter Keenan, Luis Romero, and Theo Medina.
However, he would lose the gold in November 1952 after suffering an opening-round loss against Jimmy Carruthers. The South African would lose the subsequent rematch against the Australian in 1953, before ending his career with a final stoppage win over Harry Walker in November 1954.
Jacob Matlala
Jacob Matlala remains one of the most popular boxers in South African history, and he captured the imaginations of audiences throughout his career. His staggering record in the ring made headline news around the world, as he stood at just 4’10”.
That made Matlala the shortest world champion in the history of the sport, and his popularity exceeded all expectations following his WBU championship win over Juan Herrera as he presented the newly won belt to Nelson Mandela. During his career, he fought in the ring on 68 occasions, winning on 53 occasions, and suffering just 13 defeats.
Matlala made headlines from an early point in his career, as he became the WBO light fly and flyweight champion at the beginning of his 22-year professional career. His legacy remains intact, as he was voted among the 100 greatest South Africans in history by SABC in 2004 and is certainly one of Africa’s boxing stars. There was also great sadness around the country when he passed away at just 51 in December 2013.
Gerrie Coetzee
Any list of the most dominant South African boxers in history wouldn’t be complete without Gerrie Coetzee. The boxer became the first South African in history to win the world heavyweight championship, as he held the prestigious gold between 1983 and 1984.
During his career, he fought on 40 occasions, winning on 33 occasions and suffering just six career defeats. His standout wins during his career came in the forms of knockout wins over Michael Dokes and Leon Spinks, while he also fought to a draw against future world heavyweight champion Pinklon Thomas. His ability to end fights in the blink of an eye saw him nicknamed ‘The Bionic Hand’, and during his career, he won 21 times by KO.
Final Thoughts
Looking at the amazing accomplishments of these top boxers, it’s clear that South Africa has produced incredible talent in the sport. This shows that aspiring boxers in the country have the chance to follow in their footsteps and achieve great things. The rich history of South African boxing will continue to inspire and captivate people, both now and in the future.