Hommel fought when there was no colour ban in SA boxing

Manny Hommel was a good, coloured heavyweight who lost to Jack Lalor in one of the frequent “mixed” bouts that took place before boxing matches were based on the colour of a fighter.

Subsequently, mixed bouts were banned under parliamentary control in 1923 which prohibited “mixed” bouts.

A white fighter, Jack Lalor fought from 1896 to 1919 and was one of the legends of the South African ring, with a reported 73-bout career winning the South African welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight titles.

On 5 March 1910 in Bulawayo, Lalor met Hommel and stopped him in the fifth round.

It is not clear which is the correct spelling of his name or when he was born as some reports have his name as Mannie, Manie or Manny Hommel, and suggest that he was born in Mafeking, now Mafikeng, in 1886. It was reported that he was a saddler in Mafeking.

Record-keeping was rather sketchy at the time and as far as can be ascertained, he had his first fight in 1907 against a white opponent, Driver Fairclough, in Mafeking, winning on a third-round knockout.

In 1908, he had five recorded fights, winning against Jack Stephens, Darky May (who was reported as the Garrison middleweight champion), Alf Barnard (he also fought to a draw with Barnard), and then was stopped in four rounds by the much-lighter Arthur Douglas, in Durban.

From 1909 to 1911, he had six recorded fights with wins over white fighters Jem Donovan, Lionel Hart, Jimmy Chapman and Private F Delmaine, and fought to a 25-round draw with Harry Price. His only loss was against Jack Lalor.

On 3 January 1913 at the St Patricks Hall in Port Elizabeth, he outpointed Watty Muller over 20 rounds in a bout billed as the South African Coloured heavyweight title.

In 1914, he remained unbeaten through eight fights, retaining the South African Coloured heavyweight title against Watty Muller on two occasions, John Morris on two occasions, and Frikkie Paulse.

He also claimed the South African Coloured middleweight title with a fourth-round-stoppage win over George McKriel at The National Theatre in Cape Town on 22 September.

He made three successful defences of the South African Coloured heavyweight title against Watty Muller and Jim Johnson on two occasions in 1915.

However, after his last fight in 1915 against Johnson, no further fights have been traced in 1916 and 1917, with only two recorded in 1918 and 1919, both wins over Willie Louw.

On 30 October, 1920 at Rawat’s Bio in Durban, he went in against the tough Jimmy Dixon and was stopped in the 16th round.

He would have another four fights with Dixon over the next three years, losing on three occasions; and then in August 1923 at the Athletic Grounds in Kimberly, when he regained the South African Coloured heavyweight title with an upset fourth-round knockout over Dixon.

On 19 November 1923 in a bout billed as the Coloured heavyweight title, he won on points against Rannie Kippie.

In his last recorded bout on 17 December 1925 in Cape Town, he was outpointed over 20 rounds by Rannie Kippie and finished with a record of 32 wins, with 21 inside the distance, seven losses and three draws.

Record-keeping was rather sketchy at the time and Boxrec have his record as 22-5-3; 12.

It was reported that he died in Mafeking in 1964 at the age of 78.