Jimmy Carruthers was Australia’s first undisputed world champion, capturing the world bantamweight championship on 15 November 1952 with a first-round knockout over South Africa’s Vic Toweel in Johannesburg. Carruthers made three successful defences before retiring undefeated in 1954 but was lured back into the ring in 1961, losing four of his six bouts before retiring for good with a 21-4 record.

Carruthers had an impressive amateur career. In 1946, at the age of 17, he made the final of the 1946 national titles. In 1947 he defeated Neville Rincheval, current Australian flyweight champion, who was undefeated in over 50 amateur bouts, to win the state bantamweight title. Carruthers also worked as a sparring partner for world title challenger Freddie Dawson while Dawson was preparing to face Vic Patrick as well as future lightweight champion “Old Bones” Joe Brown. Carruthers went on to win the 1947 Australian titles and represented Australia at the 1948 London Olympics, winning his first two bouts but suffering a cut that forced him to withdraw before the quarter finals.

After turning professional in 1950, Carruthers avenged an earlier amateur defeat to Billy Herbert, stopping him in ten rounds. Carruthers outpointed world-rated Australian bantamweight and featherweight champion Elley Bennett to win the Australian bantamweight title, earning himself a world ranking. A further win over former world title challenger Luis Castillo saw him ranked as the number one contender to Toweel’s title.

Carruthers’ title shot and boxing career were almost derailed in South Africa when Carruthers suffered a blood infection and almost had to have his foot amputated. After spending six months in South Africa due to several postponements, the bout finally took place on 15 November. Carruthers exploded on Toweel in the opening seconds, throwing over 100 punches in two minutes to knock the champion out in the first round to become Australia’s first undisputed world champion.  

As champion, Carruthers knocked out Toweel in a rematch, this time in ten rounds, before outpointing Pappy Gault and Chamroen Songkitrat. His last two defences were fought under unusual circumstances; Carruthers fought with a 30-foot tape worm in his stomach against Gault and the bout with Songkitrat was fought barefoot during a thunderstorm. Following the Songkitrat bout, Carruthers retired from the ring.

After managing a hotel in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs during his first retirement, Carruthers lost his first three comeback bouts after retirement, one to British Empire Games Gold Medalist and 1956 Olympian Wally Taylor. In 1962 he defeated Australian bantamweight champion Johnny Jarrett in a featherweight bout and then retired after losing to New Zealand champion Jimmy Cassidy in New Zealand. Carruthers managed a health food café and several hotels as well as working as a referee until 1977. He died in 1990 after a battle with lung cancer.

Amateur Bouts

1946             Billy Herbert            Loss

1946 Australian Championships
1946             O.Hardy                  Loss

1947 NSW Championships
03-11-1947   Neville Rincheval     Win

1947 Australian Championships
12-11-1947   N.Archer               Win
13-11-1947   S.Diver                   Win    

1948 London Olympics
09-08-1948   Fred Daigle             DQ2
(Daigle disqualified for repeated holding)
10-08-1948   Arnaldo Pares         W3
11-08-1948   Tibor Csik               LWO
(Carruthers cut during bout with Pares, forced to withdraw)

Professional Bouts

02-04-1951   Billy Herbert                      TKO10
14-05-1951   Elley Bennett                     W15
Wins Australian bantamweight title

26-11-1951   Luis Castillo                      W12
13-03-1952   Taffy Hancock                   TKO7
07-04-1952   Ray Coleman                    W12
12-05-1952   Johnny O’Brien                 W12
15-11-1952   Vic Toweel                        KO1
Wins World bantamweight title

21-03-1953   Vic Toweel                        KO10
Defends World bantamweight title

13-11-1953   Pappy Gault                      W15
Defends World bantamweight title

29-03-1954   Bobby Sinn                       W12
02-05-1954   Chamroen Songkitrat         W12
Defends World bantamweight title

16-05-1954   Carruthers retires and vacates world bantamweight title

11-09-1961   Aldo Pravisani                   L12
20-11-1961   Wally Taylor            L12
15-12-1961   Don Johnson           LTKO5
09-03-1962   Louis Magnifico       KO2

External Links

Professional Record

Jimmy Carruthers vs Vic Toweel article