Boxing in Cape Town and Surrounds, 1932–1935

Abstract

The history of boxing in Cape Town, South Africa, remains a minor focus of study amongst sport historians, compared to rugby, soccer or cricket. This article endeavours to address this situation by presenting a boxing narrative from 1932 to 1935. A literature review on boxing history in the British and American world is used to introduce the reader to this narrative. It shows how organised boxing in Cape Town’s black communities was historically rooted in all classes of people. It also reveals how the current body of academic research on black boxing is gaining momentum but is still in its infancy in South Africa. There are, however, many popular narratives from which researchers can draw. A methodological account is presented that outlines the reconstructionist method of historical research. Next, the article proceeds with a history of organised boxing, and it is shown how this sport was driven by class considerations from the nineteenth century onwards. The article concludes with the notion that professional boxing brought relief for promoters, boxers and gamblers during the worldwide economic depression of the 1930s. This ran parallel with the ‘upliftment’ project of the club movement with its theme of ‘keep the boys off the street’.