Vic Toweel facts for kids

Victor "Vic" Anthony Toweel (born January 12, 1928 – died August 15, 2008) was a famous South African boxer. He was once the undisputed World bantamweight champion, meaning he was the best boxer in his weight class across all major boxing organizations. Vic Toweel was also the very first South African to ever win a world boxing title!

Vic Toweel's Early Life

Victor Anthony Toweel was born on January 12, 1928, in Benoni, South Africa. He was the second oldest of five brothers. His father, Michael Joseph Toweel, had a Lebanese background.

Vic's dad, known as Pappa Mike, taught all his sons how to box. He even built a small gym in their backyard in Benoni. This family loved boxing! All the Toweel brothers became successful in the boxing world:

• Willie won an Olympic bronze medal and fought for a world title.
• Allan became a top boxing trainer.
• Maurice was a great matchmaker, helping to set up fights.
• Jimmy became a South African champion.

Vic Toweel was a natural boxer. He had amazing energy, perfect balance, and worked incredibly hard. His best skill was being able to throw many punches without getting tired.

Amateur Boxing Career

Vic Toweel was a very successful amateur boxer. He won "Springbok colours," which is a special award for top South African athletes. His amateur record was incredible: 188 wins and only two losses! He won 160 of those fights by knockout.

From 1941 to 1948, he won many titles, including East Rand, Transvaal, and South African junior and senior championships. He was chosen as the top pick for the 1948 Olympic team. Vic competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London in the bantamweight division. However, he was knocked out in the first round by Arnoldo Parés from Argentina in a decision that many people disagreed with.

Becoming a Professional Boxer

After the Olympics, Vic Toweel became a professional boxer. His first professional fight was on January 29, 1949. He won by stopping Johannes Landman in the second round. On the same night, his brother Jimmy won the national lightweight title. Vic then won two more fights quickly.

In only his fourth professional fight, Vic won the South African bantamweight title. His opponent, Jimmy Webster, was disqualified in the third round for holding. By his ninth fight, Vic became the South African featherweight champion. Then, in his eleventh fight, he won the British Empire Bantamweight Title.

World Champion Status

On May 31, 1950, when he was just 21 years old and in only his 14th professional fight, Vic Toweel won the world bantamweight championship!

People gave Vic many nicknames, like "Dynamite," "Benoni's Mighty Mouse," and the "Benoni Buzzaw." He was also called the "white Henry Armstrong" because he attacked his opponents constantly, just like the famous boxer Henry Armstrong. Vic Toweel defeated the World bantamweight champion, Manuel Ortiz, who was known as one of the greatest bantamweight champions ever. Manuel Ortiz had fought 110 times, while Vic had only fought 13 professional matches!

While he was world champion, Vic Toweel had 13 more fights. He successfully defended his world title three times and won 10 non-title fights against other top boxers.

• He defended his title against Danny O'Sullivan. Vic knocked O'Sullivan down 14 times in that fight before winning by knockout in the 10th round. This earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the most knockdowns in a world title fight!
• His next two title defenses were against Luis Romero and Peter Keenan, both of whom he defeated in 15 rounds.

Vic Toweel lost his world title to Australian boxer Jimmy Carruthers in his fourth title defense. Vic was very weak from losing too much weight for the fight. He lost by a first-round knockout.

Carruthers gave Vic a chance to win back his title on March 21, 1953. A huge crowd of 35,000 people watched. Vic fought well until the sixth round, but then he started to get tired. He was counted out in the tenth round.

Life After the Ring

Vic Toweel had some eye problems, so he went to London for a successful operation. When he came back, he announced he would continue fighting as a featherweight. On December 11, 1953, he beat British featherweight champion Ronnie Clayton. However, he then lost to Carmelo Costa in New York.

Vic's very last fight was on November 6, 1954, in the welterweight division. He stopped Harry Walker in the eighth round. After many years of struggling with his weight and being just two months shy of his 27th birthday, Vic decided to retire from boxing. His professional record was 28 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw, with 14 knockouts.

Vic Toweel remains South Africa's first and only undisputed world boxing champion.

Later Life

Vic Toweel moved to Australia in the 1980s. He passed away in Sydney, Australia, on August 15, 2008, at the age of 79.

Professional Boxing Record Summary

See also

• List of bantamweight boxing champions