Blast from the past: Victor Anthony ‘Vic’ Toweel
In 32 pro fights, he won 28 (14 KOs) lost three and drew one. He's South Africa's only undisputed world champ.
Nicknamed The Benoni Atom, Vic Toweel is counted among one of the greatest boxers SA’s has ever produced.
After a successful amateur career, losing twice in 300 fights, he rose to stardom in the 1950s after writing the history books of SA boxing when he outpointed Britain’s Stan Rowan to win the Commonwealth British Empire bantamweight title in 1949.
Before that, he won the SA bantamweight title in his fourth professional fight, beating Jimmy Webster by disqualification. He also won the vacant SA featherweight title by points against Tony Lombard in March 1949.
He’s best remembered as SA’s only undisputed world boxing champion after beating the legendary Mexican-American Manuel Ortiz by points in 1950 to clinch the NBA, NYSAC and The Ring Magazine bantamweight titles at Wembley Stadium in Johannesburg.
Vic would go on to defend the undisputed titles successfully three times – beating Danny O’Sullivan by TKO in December 1950, outpointing Spanish pugilist Luis Romero in November 1951 and beating Britain’s Peter Keenan by points in January 1952.
He lost the titles to Australian Jimmy Carruthers by a first round KO in November 1952 and also lost the rematch by another KO in the 10th round to Carruthers in March 1953.
Born in Benoni on January 12, 1928, Vic was the son of former boxer turned trainer, Mike (known as Pappa Mike) and member of the famous Toweel family that put SA boxing on the map.
His brothers Willie (boxer), Jimmy (boxer), Maurice (promoter) and Alan (trainer) were also involved in boxing.
He hung up his gloves at age 27, after years of battling with his weight, with a record of 28-3-1 (14 KOs) in 32 pro fights in 1954.
He lived in Australia from 1980 and died in Sydney in 2008, aged 80.
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