Stoffel du Plessis
Stoffel du Plessis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Christoffel Petrus du Plessis 27 December 1932 Lichtenburg, South Africa |
| Died | 8 March 2000 (aged 67) Klerksdorp, South Africa |
| Nationality | South African |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Middleweight |
| Height | 5 ft 6.5 in (1.69 m) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 19 |
| Wins | 11 (KO 4) |
| Losses | 6 |
| Draws | 2 |
Stoffel du Plessis (27 December 1932 – 8 March 2000) born Christoffel Petrus du Plessis, in the district of Lichtenburg, was a South African amateur and professional middleweight boxer of the 1950s.
Early life
Du Plessis was born in the district of
Amateur career
Du Plessis' amateur record dates from 1948, when he fought for two years as a junior at weights ranging from 114 and 135 pounds. His career as senior lasted from 1950 to 1952, competing at 140 pounds, 147 pounds, 156 pounds and finally at 165 pounds. During this time, he represented
Professional career
The Transvaal Board of Control for Professional Boxing and Wrestling granted Du Plessis his professional boxing license on 6 February 1953. After his first four bouts, and victories over Corrie van Niekerk and Alex Weiss,[2] Du Plessis was ranked as Class A by the magazine Boxing Round-Up.[3] After fighting 13 more times during the next three years, Du Plessis earned a title shot against reigning South African middleweight champion, Mike Holt.
Holt vs. Du Plessis
Du Plessis fought Mike Holt for the South African Middleweight title in the Durban City Hall on 12 September 1956.[4]
On fight night, Du Plessis weighed 5½ pounds less than Holt.[5] By the second round, “Holt’s nose was a dull red blob on his face, thanks to Du Plessis’s left jabs, which found a way through Holt’s wide open stance.” [5] A cut appeared next to Holt's left eye in the fourth round, though Du Plessis was in a far worse state at this time, bleeding from the nose and having a cut eye himself. After a “gory fifth round”, Holt pressured Du Plessis through the next two rounds, dropping him in the sixth.[5] By the seventh round Du Plessis's cut was so bad that he could not continue the bout.
The pair were to fight again only 10 days later, on 22 September 1956 in Salisbury, Rhodesia.[6] Holt dropped Du Plessis three times in the first round, winning by TKO in the second.
Stoffel du Plessis retired from professional boxing after this fight.
Personal life
Du Plessis moved to
Du Plessis was a staunch supporter of the Herstigte Nasionale Party, especially under the leadership of Jaap Marais. In later life, Du Plessis raced pigeons as a hobby.[1] He died on 8 March 2000 at his home in Klerksdorp, after a short battle with lymphoma.
Professional boxing record
| 19 fights | 11 wins | 6 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 4 | 4 |
| By decision | 7 | 1 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
| Draws | 2 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Loss | 11–5–2 |  Mike Holt
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TKO | 2 (?) | 22 Sep 1955 |  Raylton Sports Club, Salisbury, Rhodesia
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| 18 | Loss | 11–5–2 | Mike Holt
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RTD | 6 (12) | 12 Sep 1955 | City Hall, Durban, South Africa
|
South African middleweight title |
| 17 | Draw | 11–4–2 | Chris van Rooyen
|
D | 4 | 21 Jul 1955 | Olympia Ice Rink, Johannesburg, South Africa
|
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| 16 | Win | 11–4–1 |  Vittorio Corso
|
PTS | 6 | 19 Nov 1955 | Olympia Ice Rink, Johannesburg, South Africa
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| 15 | Win | 10–4–1 | Arthur Ketchell
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PTS | 6 | 19 Nov 1955 | Port Elizabeth, South Africa
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| 14 | Win | 9–4–1 | Warrance Burger
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TKO | 4 (?) | 9 Apr 1955 | City Hall, Johannesburg, South Africa
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| 13 | Draw | 8–4–1 | Mannetjie Roux (“Kid Valentine”)
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D | 4 | 14 Mar 1955 | Wembley Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa
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| 12 | Loss | 8–4 | Jimmy Elliot
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DQ | 6 | 13 Dec 1954 | Raylton Sports Club, Salisbury, Rhodesia
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| 11 | Win | 8–3 | Kenny Lawrence
|
PTS | 4 | 30 Jun 1954 | Olympia Ice Rink, Johannesburg, South Africa
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| 10 | Win | 7–3 | Johnny Roberts
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PTS | 4 | 22 May 1954 | City Hall, Johannesburg, South Africa
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| 9 | Win | 6–3 | Chris van Rooyen
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PTS | 4 | 10 Apr 1954 | Welkom, South Africa
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| 8 | Loss | 5–3 | Albert Scott
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TKO | 6 (6) | 26 Oct 1953 | Selborne Hall, Johannesburg, South Africa
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| 7 | Win | 5–2 | Johnny Bezuidenhout
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TKO | 4 | 29 Jan 1954 | City Hall, Durban, South Africa
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| 6 | Loss | 4–2 | Kenny Lawrence
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PTS | 4 | 26 Oct 1953 | Port Elizabeth, South Africa
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| 5 | Win | 4–1 | Johnny Roberts
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PTS | 4 | 5 Aug 1953 | Wembley Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa
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| 4 | Win | 3–1 | Alex Weiss
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PTS | 4 | 6 Jul 1953 | Mike Friedman’s Gym, Johannesburg, South Africa
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| 3 | Win | 2–1 | Corrie van Niekerk
|
PTS | 4 | 27 Jul 1953 | Port Elizabeth, South Africa
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| 2 | Win | 1–1 | Jan Scheepers
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KO | 3 (?) | 13 Apr 1953 | Mike Friedman’s Gym, Johannesburg, South Africa
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| 1 | Loss | 0–1 | Chris van Rooyen
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TKO | 1 (6) | 21 Feb 1953 | Pietersburg, South Africa
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Professional debut |
References
- ^ a b c Hartbeestfontein Gold Mining Co Ltd. (1990). 25 Year Service Awards. Klerksdorp: Hartbeestfontein Goldmining Co Ltd. p. 10.
- ^ Neill, Leonard. "European Records". Boxing Round-Up. Vol. 1, no. 3. p. 10.
- ^ Neill, Leonard. "Leonard Neill's Ratings". Boxing Round-Up. Vol. 1, no. 3. p. 6.
- ^ "Mike Holt v Stoffel du Plessis 1". BoxRec. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ a b c Dovale, Trevor (13 September 1956). "Holt – no "destroyer" – outpunches Du Plessis". The Natal Daily News. p. 20.
- ^ "Mike Holt v Stoffel du Plessis 2". BoxRec. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
External links
- Boxing record for Stoffel du Plessis from BoxRec (registration required)