LOOKING BACK: Race distinction in boxing during the 70s

The early years of South African boxing championships were in a state of confusion as titles were claimed and lost and residential qualifications played no role as foreign boxers often won "South African" titles and abandoned them on their departure from the country.

Mixed fights between black and white South Africans at all levels of competition was only permitted from October 1976. However, despite this decision by the South African Boxing Board of Control, which had the backing of the then Minister of Sport, Dr Piet Koornhof, there were still black and white champions in addition to the all-South African champion or Supreme champion.

This is possibly the only country in the world that had the ridiculous situation of a black and white champion or half champion in each division.

Together with soccer, rugby and track and field athletics, boxing became a protagonist in dismantling “apartheid”. Mixed bouts between South Africans were legalised in 1977, but it was not until two years later that the last vestiges of the colour bar disappeared when the system of white, black, and supreme titles were mercifully done away with.

With the abolition of race distinction in boxing, in January 1979 South Africa had a truly undisputed champion irrespective of race or colour in each division.

As a result of these changes all South African fighters were given the opportunity to challenge for world titles which they had been denied.

MILESTONES IN SOUTH AFRICAN BOXING

On 9 August 1975 American Gil Clancy with special permission from the Government became the first white man to be permitted to second a black man at a black tournament in South Africa when former double world champion Emile Griffith fought Elijah Makathini at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.

Another important milestone in South Africa boxing was the first multi-national tournament promoted by Maurice Toweel at the Rand Stadium in Johannesburg on 17 August 1974 when Pierre Fourie fought Tom Bogs, Kokkie Olivier vs Roger Zami, Elijah Makhatini vs Juarez de Lima and Norman Sekgapane vs Jorgen Hansen.

The first two multiracial South African title fights were held at the Rand Stadium in Johannesburg on 27 November 1976 with Gerrie Coetzee and Elijah ‘Tap Tap’ Makhatini becoming the new undisputed champions. The White middleweight titleholder Jan Kies was stopped in three rounds by Makhatini and the Black heavyweight champion, James Mathato was knocked out in the seventh round by Coetzee.

Ever since then boxing was liberated from institutional racial discrimination, not just at competition level but also at controlling level.

LOOKING BACK TO 1974

Looking back to 1974 at the weight divisions in place at the time the question is who would have been the true South African champion in each division.

At heavyweight there was Fraser Memela, the Black South African champion and Jimmy Richards, the White champion with the rugged Richards the favourite here.

In the light heavyweight class the outstanding fighter was Pierre Fourie who was not the South African champion, with the White title being held by Dawie du Preez and the Black champion James Mathatho.

Fourie would have been the favourite to beat both Du Preez and Mathatho, who would have had the edge over DuPreez.

In the middleweight division there were talented fighters like the Black champion Sydney Hoho who was battling to make the weight, Elijah “Tap Tap” Makathini and Jan Kies.

The southpaw Makathini would have been the pick here (he went on to stop Kies in three rounds in November 1976).

In the welterweight division there was the classy Gert Steyn the White champion and the Black champion, the colourful Maxwell Malinga. This would have been a 'pick-em' fight if Malinga had avoided his clowning tactics.

The junior welterweight class had Dirk van Der Westhuizen as the White champion and one of South Africa’s most accomplished fighters Norman “Pangaman” Sekgapane as the Black titleholder.

The all-round fighting machine Sekgapane would have proved too much for the slower Van der Westhuizen.

At the time Sekgapane was also the Black South African lightweight champion and would have found it tough against the White champion Andries Steyn.

They subsequently had two closely fought encounters in 1978 with Sekgapane winning the first and Steyn taking the second fight.

In the junior-lightweight class you had one of the greats in the South African ring Nkosana “Happyboy” Mgxaji the Black champion and the worthy White challenger at the time being Hansie van Rooyen.

Mgxaji would have been too skilled for Van Rooyen, and he would go on to a 101-fight career with only nine losses.

At the time, the two top featherweights were Arnold Taylor and Bashew Sibaca in a fight that could have gone either way. The Black champion was Gideon “Toughie” Borias.

Taylor who had won the South African bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight titles, lost his WBA bantamweight title to Soo Hwan Hong in July 1974 and was at the end of his career.

The tough Black bantamweight champion Chris Dlamini who had also held the Black South African flyweight title was a top fighter who only lost six of 60 fights.

There were no outstanding White flyweight challengers at the time.

Trying to match the Black and White fighters and champions is only a game and we can only speculate who would have come out on top.

WORLD BOXING TITLES IN CONFUSION

Even though South African boxing is now on a fair and undisputed level, world boxing is in a confused state with four major sanctioning bodies in professional boxing, World Boxing Association (WBA formerly NBA 1921), World Boxing Council (WBC-1963), International Boxing Federation (IBF-1983), and World Boxing Organization (WBO-1988).

There are also several co called minor organisations with the better ones being the International Boxing Organisation (IBO-1988) and World Boxing Federation (1988)

The Ring magazine, which was established in February 1922, awarded its own championship belts until 1989, and then started awarding title belts again in 2001.

According to one report there are more than 100 recognised world championships in boxing, not counting the “interim,” “youth,” “regular” and Bridger weight titles.