Golden Gloves

The late, great raconteur on SA boxing Reg Haswell had a way about him that was totally unique and irrespective of who opposed him, he always had the courage of his convictions.

As I recall, this chirpy Cockney was a fountain of colour and his memory was outstanding. A fan of the late welterweight ace Bennie Nieuwenhuizen and former SA middleweight champion Jimmy Elliott, the likeable Haswell could wax lyrical about their talent, calling Bennie the “Finest left handed puncher he’d ever seen. Bennie’s jab was a thing of beauty” said Haswell one Sunday morning while visiting my flat in the 1980’s. “Elliott, while completely different to Bennie in his ways, had the best defence I ever saw and could block and parry with the best. I always thought it ironical he died from a cerebral haemorrhage the morning after his fight with Pat McAteer in May 1957, because Jimmy hardly ever absorbed punishment.” Haswell said. “Elliott was like a second son to me and I was never the same after he died. As for Bennie, he was undoubtedly the naughtiest fighter I ever knew, along with Hotty van Heerden and Denis Adams that is”.

Reg remembered only too well Nieuwenhuizen’s favourite meal, “Curried boerewors” the former Londoner laughed.

Insofar as our fighters of the 1970’s and 1980’ were concerned, Haswell had definite tastes, some that infuriated a number of people. For example he considered Pierre Fourie vastly overrated, Jimmy Richards underrated and Andries Steyn, Arnold Taylor, Peter Mathebula, Alasin Stevens and Baby Jake Matlala (who was still fighting prelims) and Brian Mitchell among the best local ringmen of their respective eras.

“Strange isn’t it, but a boxer with a lot of style and fancy moves can be very overrated (Fourie) while a plodding type of fighter like Richards is often unsung to the extreme”. Haswell rounded off his talk on Fourie by saying; “I’m not saying that Fourie wasn’t a good fighter but his management team (the Toweels) made him into the best light heavyweight we ever had, and he most certainly was not. In fact, I’d consider the lion-hearted Nick Wolmarans, Mike Holt, Johnny Squires and Dave Carstens his superior during their time!”