Louis Botes, who fought as a professional from 1932 to 1936 in the featherweight and lightweight divisions, was a product of the Seaman’s Institute in Durban, where many quality fighters were produced.
The Seaman’s Institute stands as a monument to the late Reverend Miles Cadman.
He was known as the “The Fighting Parson”, and was an enthusiastic boxer in his younger days.
He became the chaplain responsible for the Institute in 1928 and decided to make it attractive to sailors, offering them boxing and wrestling, and he also introduced innocent gambling games for the sailors on shore leave to make it a counter attraction to the bars. His superiors were horrified.
Ben Foord also trained at the Institute and would go on to win the South African heavyweight title in 1934 and then campaign in the United Kingdom, scoring victories over Jack London, Eddie Phillips, Larry Gains, Tommy Loughran, Jack Pettifer and George Cook before he was matched with Jack Petersen for the British and Empire heavyweight titles. After three explosive rounds he knocked out Petersen to be crowned winner and new champion.
Cadman subsequently decided to take two of his brightest prospects, Louis Botes and middleweight Eddie Maguire, to England.
Botes did reasonably well and Maguire became one of the best middleweights in Europe.
Unfortunately Botes was not as successful as Maguire and, after a good start in London, failed against better class opposition.
On his return to South Africa Cadman became involved in politics, representing Durban North in Parliament for many years.
As an amateur Botes won a few Natal provincial championships before making his pro debut in June 1932, at the Town Hall in Durban, winning on a second-round stoppage over Johnny White.
He then beat Jimmy Phillips and won and lost against Ivan Swanepoel before scoring a points victory over Alec Knight.
As an amateur Knight won the bantamweight class at the 1928 South African championships and as a professional would go on to win the South African bantamweight title in March 1938.
Botes then departed for overseas and had his first fight against Billy Branham on January 17, 1933, at the Paddington Baths in London, winning on points over 12 rounds.
In his next fight, only six days later in Newcastle, he was beaten on points over 12 rounds by Benny Sharkey, an 86-fight veteran, and then outpointed by another veteran, Phineas John from Wales, who was having his 136th fight.
Botes lived at the Dolphin Hotel in Slough, Buckinghamshire, and trained with fellow South African fighters, Ben Foord, Don McCorkindale and Eddie Maguire, who were also campaigning in the United Kingdom at the time.
After the victory over Welshman John on February 12, 1933, he had another 18 fights in the year, winning eight, losing seven and drawing three. Among his victories was a win over Dick Corbett, former British and Empire bantamweight champion.
In 1934 he had six fights in London, losing to George Odwell (W62 L8 D6), at The Ring in Blackfriars, and to Frenchman Maurice Holtzer (W84 L26 D4), a future European and International Boxing Union featherweight champion.
Botes scored victories over Jimmy Vaughn, Arley Hollingsworth and Dave Finn, and fought to a draw with Scotsman Benny Sharkey.
After the fight with Finn on March 19, 1934, at the Royal Albert Hall in London, he returned to South Africa.
In his first fight after his return to South Africa, on May 12, 1934, at the City Hall in Durban, he lost to former South African featherweight champion Len McLoughlin on points. In a return bout on June 30, at the same venue, he reversed the decision, winning on points over ten rounds.
He had another three fights in 1934, fighting to a draw with Archie Rose and losing to American Wesley Ramey, who spent nearly three months in South Africa and lost to Laurie Stevens on two occasions.
In 1935 Louis had three fights, losing to Italian Aldo Spoldi, winning a return match with Archie Rose and scoring a six-round points decision over Collis Botha.
Nearing the end of his career he had four fights in 1936, scoring a points victory over New Zealander Joe Franklin, before winning and losing against Ernst Wohrer from Austria.
In what was to be his last fight on June 13, 1936, at the City Hall in Johannesburg, he challenged Laurie Stevens for the South African lightweight title.
Botes was no match for Stevens and, after being down on three occasions, the fight was stopped in the fourth round. This was the first time that he had lost inside the distance other than two disqualification losses in the United Kingdom.
It was no disgrace losing to Stevens, an Olympic gold medallist, Empire lightweight, South African lightweight and welterweight champion who became one of the legends of the South African ring, losing only two of his 41 fights.
Botes finished with a record of 22 wins, with three inside the distance, 16 losses and five draws.
Even though his record reflects a number of losses, he was a rugged and durable performer who extended his opponents in most of his fights.
