Willie Toweel

Bill Toweel ( born April 6, 1934 in Johannesburg, South Africa ) is a former South African boxer who fought in different weight classes.

Amateur

In 1952 he won the bronze medal in the flyweight at the Olympic Games in Helsinki.

Professional

Into the professional business increased Toweel 1953 and started with a series of twenty victories. He fought for the vacant title of the South African bantamweight champion, he defended once. In May 1954 he became the vacant featherweight title. This track he could successfully defend twice.

In September 1955, he challenged the reigning world champion in the bantamweight, the Frenchman Robert Cohen. The fight ended in a draw, although Toweel went twice in the second and once in the tenth round to the ground.

His first professional defeat he suffered in December 1955 in the fight for the combined South African and Commonwealth titles at lightweight against his fellow countryman Johnny van Rensburg. The rematch in June 1956, he won on points. A third fight against van Rensburg two months later ended in a draw. The Commonwealth titles he could then still defend three times before coming to knockout in the tenth round lost him in May 1959 against David Chamley from England. The last career peak it reached in August 1960, when he won the vacant South Africa welterweight title. However, he could not defend him because he lost it three weeks later after a Disqualifikationsniederlage. The last fight in October of the same year lost Toweel against Emile Griffith of the U.S. Virgin Islands by way of knockout in the eighth round.