The recipient of the first belt was Vic Toweel who was awarded the belt in 1950 after winning the South African bantamweight, featherweight, British Empire bantamweight and universal world bantamweight title when he outpointed the 114-fight veteran Manuel Ortiz on 31 May 1950 over 15 rounds. Toweel was only having his 14th professional fight. He finished up with a record of 28-3; 14. The only South African to date to hold a universal world title.
Rather sadly the championship belt was stolen from Toweel’s home in the South of Johannesburg many years ago and to date has never been recovered.
The theory is that the thieves must have thought that belt was made of gold and melted it down. Unfortunately, it is not made of gold but only of a metal.
HEKKIE BUDLER
The second South African to receive a Ring magazine belt is Hekkie Budler who won the IBO All Africa, IBO junior flyweight titles and IBO strawweight, WBA interim minimumweight, WBA minimumweight, WBA “super” minimumweight, WBA Pan African junior flyweight, IBO light flyweight and WBC silver light flyweight titles.
In his most recent fight, he outpointed former world champion Elwin Soto in Mexico in a WBC light flyweight eliminator to take his record to 34-4; 10.
BRIAN MITCHELL
Fighting against the odds during the Apartheid Era in South Africa, Brian Mitchell has a strong claim to be rated as the greatest fighter of all time in South African boxing history.
Mitchell made his pro debut on 15 August 1981 winning on points over four rounds and went on to win the South African junior lightweight title and the WBA and IBF junior lightweight titles in an outstanding career.
He compiled a record of 45-1-3;21 with his only loss against Jacob Morake in his seventh fight in a bout for the Transvaal junior lightweight title.
He would go to beat Morake on three more occasions and after winning the WBA junior lightweight title against Alfredo Layne he would defend the title on twelve occasions before relinquishing it and go on to capture the IBF junior lightweight belt against Tony Lopez in their second fight, after fighting to a debatable draw in their first fight.
After retiring from the ring Mitchell has remained close to the game as a commentator and manager of fighters.
He has also won numerous awards including South African Sportsman of the Year.
The Ring was founded in 1922 by Nat Fleischer and the first issue to appear on the newsstands was on 15 February 1922.
There have been seven editors of the magazine, and in 1983 I was privileged to meet one of its most famous editors, Bert Randolph Sugar in the Ring offices in New York.
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