Vic Toweel

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameVictor Anthony "Vic"•Toweel
Used nameVic•Toweel
Nick/petnamesDynamite, Benoni's Mighty Mouse, Benoni Buzzaw, White Henry Armstrong
Born28 January 1928 in Benoni, Gauteng (RSA)
Died15 August 2008 in Sydney, New South Wales (AUS)
AffiliationsBenoni Boxing Club
NOC South Africa

Biography

Vic Toweel, along with his five brothers, was taught to box by their father in a corrugated iron shack in the backyard of their house in Benoni. Toweel rose swiftly through the ranks of South African boxing and won 188 of his 190 amateur bouts. He reportedly knocked out 160 of his opponents. Although he arrived in London for the 1948 Olympics with a glowing reputation he had the misfortune to be drawn against Arnoldo Parés, the Argentine considered as the gold medal favourite and was defeated in the first series.

He turned professional shortly after returning to his homeland and won both national bantamweight and featherweight titles in the space of his first ten fights. In just his 14th fight he faced the veteran American Manuel Ortiz for the World bantamweight title and won a points decision to become the first South African to hold an undisputed world title. The first defence of his world title against the Englishman Danny O’Sullivan became notorious as O’Sullivan suffered a record 14 knockdowns before the fight was stopped. Problems in making the bantamweight limit contributed to Toweel losing his title to fellow Olympian Jimmy Carruthers in 1950 and a year later a rematch ended with the same result. After a defeat to the American Carlos Costa he announced his retirement, ending with a record of 28 wins, 3 defeats and a draw in his 32 pro fights. Toweel later settled in Australia.

His brother Willie Toweel was a bronze medallist in 1952 and later fought unsuccessfully for a world professional title

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1948 Summer Olympics Boxing RSA Vic Toweel
Bantamweight, Men (Olympic) =17

Olympic family relations

Special Notes