Fascinating history

Boxing for Empire and Commonwealth titles has a fascinating history, going back more than 131 years.

According to Barry J Hugman’s British Boxing Board of Control Boxing Yearbook the first Empire champion was heavyweight Peter Jackson from Australia in 1889.

In those days, Empire title fights were rare and limited to tournaments in the United Kingdom, Australia and South Africa.

An organisation with the unwieldy name of the British and Commonwealth and Empire Boxing Championship Committee was formed on October 12 1954.

Before that, British and Australian promoters unilaterally arranged fights for Empire titles, more or less ignoring other members of what was then known as the British Empire.

In 1972 the committee was reconstituted and renamed the British Commonwealth Championships Committee. The “British” was later dropped and the titles became known as Commonwealth Championships.

THE DISTINGUISHED FOURTEEN

After the political changes in 1994, SA boxers were again eligible to compete for Commonwealth titles. Four have followed in the footsteps of Johnny van Rensburg in 1958.

The distinguished twelve are with the dates on which they won their titles:

Laurie Stevens, lightweight – January 11 1936

Ben Foord, heavyweight – August 17 1936

Vic Toweel, bantamweight – November 12 1949

Jake Tuli, flyweight – September 8 1952

Gerald Dreyer, welterweight – December 8 1952

Johnny van Rensburg, lightweight – February 12 1955

Willie Toweel, lightweight – June 16 1956

Dennis Adams, flyweight – October 23 1957

Johnny van Rensburg, welterweight – May 17 1958

Daniel Ward, flyweight – March 6 1995

Johnson Tshuma, middleweight – October 31 1997 Andre Thysse –super middleweight – March 1, 2003 Tshifhiwa Munyai, bantamweight – June 22 2006

TITLE FIGHTS INVOLVING SOUTH AFRICANS (South African fighters named first)

Flyweight

Sep 8, 1952 Jake Tuli W TKO 12 Teddy Gardiner (England), Newcastle, England.

Oct 19, 1954 Jake Tuli L 15 Dai Dower (Wales), London, England.

Dec 6, 1955 Jake Tuli L 15 Dai Dower (Wales), London, England.

Oct 23, 1957 Dennis Adams W KO 3 Frankie Jones (Scotland), Glasgow, Scotland.

Jan 24, 1958 Dennis Adams W KO 2 Warner Batchelor (Australia), Durban, South Africa.

Jul 16, 1960 Dennis Adams W KO 1 Les Smith (South Africa), Durban, South Africa.

May 13, 1961 Dennis Adams NC 9 John Mthimkulu (South Africa), Luanshaya, Northern Rhodesia.

Mar 7, 1995 Daniel Ward W TKO 12 Francis Ampofo (England), London, England.

Jun 25, 1996 Daniel Ward L TKO 3 Peter Culshaw (England), London, England.

Jan 22, 2000 Abbey Mnisi L 12 Jason Booth (England), Birmingham, England.

May 10, 2003 Zolile Mbityi L 12 Dale Robinson (England), Huddersfield, England.

Apr 7, 2006 Zolile Mbityi L 12 Lee Haskins (England), Bristol, England.

Bantamweight

May 22, 1930 Willie Smith L 15 Dick Corbett (England), London, England.

Nov 22, 1949 Vic Toweel W 15 Stan Rowan (England), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Apr 8, 1950 Vic Toweel W 15 Fernando Gagnon (Canada), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dec 2, 1950 Vic Toweel WTKO 10 Danny O’Sullivan (England), Johannesburg, South Africa. (world title was also at stake).

Jan 28, 1952 Vic Toweel W 15 Peter Keenan (Scotland), Johannesburg, South

Africa. (world title was also at stake).

Nov 15, 1952 Vic Toweel L KO 1 Jimmy Carruthers (Australia), Johannesburg, South Africa. (world title was also at take).

Mar 21, 1953 Vic Toweel L KO 10 Jimmy Carruthers (Australia), Johannesburg, South Africa. (world title was also at stake).

Sep 14, 1956 Jake Tuli L KO 14 Peter Keenan (Scotland), Glasgow, Scotland.

Dec 5, 1959 Bernie Taylor L KO 5 Freddie Gilroy (Ireland), Belfast, Ireland.

Feb 14, 1994 Tsitsi Sokutu L TKO 7 Jimmy Armour (England), Bethnal Green, London, England.

Feb 18, 1997 Lybo Nkoko L KO 1 Paul Lloyd (England), Cheshunt, England.

Apr 16, 1997 Simphiwe Pamana L TKO 11 Paul Lloyd (England), Bethnal Green, London, England.

Jun 22, 2006 Tshifhiwa Munyai W TKO 9 Martin Power (England), London, England. (vacant title).

Oct 6, 2006 Tshifhiwa Munyai W TKO 6 Lee Haskins (England), London, England.

Jan 26, 2006 Tshifhiwa Munyai W TKO 4 Martin Power (England), London, England.

Junior featherweight

May 23, 1998 Simon Ramoni L 12 Michael Brodie (England), Bethnal Green, London, England.

May 11, 2002 Vuyani Phulo L KO 8 Michael Aldis (England), Dagenham, England.

Featherweight

Dec 26, 1926 Willie Smith L 12 Johnny McGrory (Scotland), Johannesburg, South Africa. (vacant title).

Oct 15, 1994 Stanford Ngcebeshe L 12 Billy Hardy (England), Sun City, South Africa.

Junior lightweight

Jan 26, 1996 Jackie Gunguluza L TKO 7 Justin Juuko (Uganda), Brighton, England.

Mar 10, 2007 Harry Ramogoadi L TKO 6 Kevin Mitchell (England), Liverpool, England.

Lightweight

Jan 11, 1936 Laurie Stevens W 12 Jack Kid Berg (England), Johannesburg, South Africa. (vacant title).

Feb 12, 1955 Johnny van Rensburg W 15 Joe Lucy (England), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Jun 11, 1955 Johnny van Rensburg W 12 Louis Klopper (South Africa), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Aug 20, 1955 Johnny van Rensburg W TKO 8 Roy Louw (South Africa), Cape Town, South Africa.

Dec 10, 1955 Johnny van Rensburg W TKO 9 Willie Toweel, (South Africa), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Jun 16, 1956 Willie Toweel W 15 Johnny van Rensburg (South Africa), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Aug 11, 1956 Willie Toweel D 15 Johnny van Rensburg (South Africa), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Nov 10 1956 Willie Toweel W 15 Richie Howard (Canada), Johannesburg South Africa.

Feb 14, 1957 Willie Toweel W TKO 4 Johnny van Rensburg (South Africa), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Jul 9, 1957 Willie Toweel W 15 Dave Charnley (England), London, England.

May 15, 1959 Willie Toweel L KO 10 Dave Charnley (England), London, England.

Oct 29, 1995 Ditau Molefyane L KO 8 Billy Schwer (England), London, England.

Mar 14, 2015 Thompson Mokwana L TKO 7 Thompson Mokwana, Kempton Park.

Junior welterweight

May 12, 2001 Harrison Methula L TKO 7 Eamonn Magee (Ireland), Plymouth, England.

Oct 27, 2001 Matthews Zulu L PTS 12 Eamonn Magee (Ireland), Manchester, England.

Feb 19, 2005 Lovemore Ndou L PTS 12 Junior Witter (England), Los Angeles, USA.

Mar 24, 2017 Warren Joubert L TKO 6 Josh Taylor (Scotland), Edinburgh, Scotland.

Welterweight

Jan 27, 1951 Pat Patrick L KO 13 Eddie Thomas (Wales), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dec 8, 1952 Gerald Dreyer W 15 Cliff Curvis (Wales), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Jan 15, 1954 Gerald Dreyer L TKO 7 Barry Brown (New Zealand), Wellington, New Zealand.

Apr 14, 1956 Bennie Nieuwenhuizen L TKO 13 George Barnes (Australia), Johannesburg, South Africa.

May 17, 1958 Johnny van Rensburg W 15 George Barnes (Australia), Salisbury, Rhodesia.

Aug 18, 1958 Johnny van Rensburg L TKO 13 George Barnes (Australia), Sydney, Australia.

Middleweight

Oct 21, 1952 George Angelo L 15 Randolph Turpin (England), London, England.

Nov 12, 1955 Mike Holt L 15 Pat McAteer (England), Johannesburg, South Africa.

May 4, 1957 Jimmy Elliot L KO 6 Pat McAteer (England), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Oct 31, 1997 Johnson Tshuma (Zambian born) W 12 Paul Silky Jones (England), London, England.

Mar 24, 1998 Johnson Tshuma L 12 Paul Silky Jones (England), London, England.

Super middleweight

Mar 1, 2003 Andre Thysse W 12 David Starie (England), Brakpan, South Africa.

Dec 2, 2005 Ruben Groenewald L TKO 5 Carl Froch (England), Nottingham, England.

Light heavyweight

Jul 16, 1958 Mike Holt L TKO 9 Yvon Durelle (Canada), Montreal, Canada.

Apr 25, 1960 Mike Holt D 15 John Halifihi (Tonga), Nottingham, England.

Heavyweight

Dec 18, 1911 Fred Storbeck L KO 11 Bombadier Billy Wells (England), London, England.

Dec 6, 1912 George Rodel L KO 2 Bombadier Billy Wells (England), London, England.

Jan 28, 1932 Don McCorkindale D 15 Larry Gains (Canada), London, England.

Mar 3, 1932 Don McCorkindale L 15 Larry Gains (Canada), London, England.

Aug 17, 1936 Ben Foord W TKO 3 Jack Petersen (England), Leicester, England.

Mar 15 1937 Ben Foord L 15 Tommy Farr (Wales), London, England.

Mar 26, 1949 Johnny Ralph L KO 3 Bruce Woodcock (England), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Oct 13, 1952 Johnny Arthur L TKO 7 Johnny Williams (Wales), Leicester, England.

Jan 30, 1954 Johnny Arthur L 15 Don Cockell (England), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Aug 26, 1959 Gawie de Klerk L TKO 5 Henry Cooper (England), Porthcawl, Wales.