Where have the SA world champions gone?

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 6 October 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, won the vacant World Boxing Federation lightweight belt on 28 September 2019 with a seventh-round stoppage win over the very ordinary Emanuel Lopez (30-11-1). He has not made a defence of the belt.

The only other South African to hold a “world” belt, Ndulani, 12-2-1; 4, won the vacant IBO minimumweight belt on 21 May 2021 when he stopped the weight drained Nkosinathi Joyi at 1 minute 31 seconds into the fourth round.

He subsequently made a successful defence against Siphamandla Baleni (18-3-2) on a split decision.

Neither of these two fighters would be in contention for one of the main organisation belts.

PAST WORLD CHAMPION

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 other version of a world title.

South African fighters have laid claim to 45 of the so-called major titles, WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF, with 41 being 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, WB Foundation (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, WB Foundation (March 20, 2009) featherweight, IBF (Mar 26, 2011) junior featherweight.
Lovemore Ndou: IBF (February 4, 2007) junior welterweight, IBO (July 11, 2009) welterweight, World Boxing Foundation (August 10, 2012) welterweight.
Simphiwe Vetyeka: IBO (July 11, 2009), bantamweight, IBO (April 14, 2013) featherweight, WBA (December 6, 2013) featherweight.
Zolani Tete: WB Foundation (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, WB Foundation (September 8, 2006) junior featherweight, WB Foundation (November 2, 2007) junior lightweight, IBO (April 2, 2009) junior lightweight, WB Federation (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 title, IBO (February 4, 2017) light-flyweight, (May 20, 2018) (WBA/IBF/Ring magazine light flyweight titles – 6th/7th/8th)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.