Willie Toweel facts for kids
Willie Michael Toweel (born 6 April 1934 – died 25 December 2017) was a famous boxer from South Africa. He won a bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. He competed in the flyweight division, which is for boxers weighing up to 51 kilograms.
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About Willie Toweel
Willie was born in Benoni, South Africa. He came from a big family of boxers. His brothers were Alan, Jimmy, Fraser, Vic, and Maurice. He also had sisters named Maureen Toweel and Antoinette Moussallem. His uncle was Paul Toweel.
Amateur Boxing Career
Before he became a professional, Willie was a very successful amateur boxer. He won both Junior and Senior South African boxing titles. His biggest achievement as an amateur was winning the bronze medal at the 1952 Olympic Games. In the Olympics, he lost to Nate Brooks from the United States. Nate Brooks later went on to win the gold medal in that competition.
Willie's 1952 Olympic Fights
Here's how Willie Toweel did in his fights at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics:
- First fight (Round of 32): He beat Kornel Molnar from Hungary. The judges decided he won with a score of 3-0.
- Second fight (Round of 16): He won against Al Asuncion from the Philippines. The judges scored it 2-1 in his favour.
- Third fight (Quarterfinal): He defeated Han Soo-An from South Korea. The judges gave him a 3-0 win.
- Last fight (Semifinal): He lost to Nate Brooks from the United States. The judges scored it 0-3 against him. Even though he lost, he was still awarded a bronze medal because he reached the semifinals.
Professional Boxing Career
Willie Toweel started his professional boxing career in 1953. He quickly showed he was a strong fighter.
Early Wins and Titles
After winning several fights, Willie fought Matthew Raaff for the South African Bantamweight title. He won by knocking out Raaff in the seventh round. Not long after, in May 1954, Willie won another title. He beat Tony Lombard over 12 rounds to become the South African Featherweight Champion.
Fighting for a World Title
Willie kept winning, with ten more victories in a row. This led him to challenge Robert Cohen for the World Bantamweight title. Their big fight was on 3 September 1955, in Johannesburg. It was a very tough fight. Willie was knocked down several times, but he bravely fought back. The fight lasted all 15 rounds and ended in a draw. This meant Robert Cohen kept his world title.
Rivalry with Johnny van Rensburg
Willie then moved up to the Lightweight division. Here, he faced his big rival, Johnny 'Smiler' Van Rensburg. In their first match, Willie had to stop fighting in the ninth round because of injuries to his hand and ankle. But this was just the start of their rivalry! They fought each other five more times. Willie won the next three fights against Van Rensburg. Their very last fight against each other ended in a draw after 15 rounds.
A Difficult Moment
In March 1956, Willie had a very tough experience during a fight. His opponent, Hubert Essakow, was seriously injured. This deeply affected Willie, who was a religious person. He thought about quitting boxing because he was worried about hurting other fighters. After this, he often held back in his fights, not wanting to cause serious harm. Later in his career, in the same place where he fought Essakow, he was disqualified from a fight. He said that memories of Essakow came back to him during that fight, and he just wanted to leave the ring.
Continuing His Career
Despite his worries, Willie decided to keep boxing with the support of his team. He won seven more fights and had another draw with Van Rensburg. He then went to England and won against Dave Charnley, defending his British Empire Lightweight Title. Willie won eight more fights after that. However, he lost to Guy Gracia from France in April 1958. Willie was not feeling well before that fight because of sinusitis. But he got his revenge ten months later, beating Gracia in Cape Town.
Willie faced Dave Charnley again later in his career. He was finding it hard to stay at the Lightweight limit. He lost his British Empire Lightweight title when Charnley knocked him out in the tenth round.
Moving to Welterweight and Retirement
Willie then moved up to the Welterweight division. In November 1959, he fought Len Matthews at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA. This was a big deal because he was the first South African to be the main fighter there. Even though he was knocked down twice, Willie fought brilliantly and won the fight. He then lost a fight on points to Wally Swift in England.
After this, Willie had two more wins in South Africa. He beat Julio Silvo and Fred Tiedt. He then won his fourth national title by beating Benny Niewenhuizen for the South African Welterweight title. In September 1960, Willie was disqualified in a fight against Jannie Botes and lost his title.
Willie's very last professional fight was in October 1960, against Emile Griffith. Griffith later became a world champion. Willie started his last fight well, but he was stopped in the eighth round. Willie Toweel retired from boxing at the age of 26. He had an amazing record of 46 wins, 6 losses, and 2 draws, with 23 knockouts.
Training Career
After retiring from fighting, Willie Toweel became a boxing trainer. He helped many boxers, including famous ones like Charlie Weir, and world champions Brian Mitchell and Thulani Malinga.
Later Life and Death
Willie Toweel lived in Randburg, South Africa, for many years. He passed away on Christmas Day, 25 December 2017.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Boxing | ||
Representing  South Africa |
||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 1952 Helsinki | Flyweight |
