Alan Toweel has one of the smallest professional boxing gyms in the country, a converted double garage at his Linden home, but he has manufactured a plan that could see his stable holding as many as five of the 17 SA crowns.
That's a lofty ambition for a trainer with just eight fighters on his books; he needs the stars to align, but even three or four would not be a bad result.
Toweel already has two champions in Bangile Nyangani, holder of the national belt in boxing's smallest weight division, mini-flyweight, and lightweight Tshifhiwa Munyai.
Frank Rodrigues will take on Cowin Ray for the vacant super-middleweight title at Emperors Palace on September 25 and Rofhiwa Nemushungwe is the mandatory challenger for classy bantamweight king Ronald Malindi.
And then Toweel is eager to get undefeated heavyweight prospect Wilhelm Nebe a shot at what was once regarded as the greatest prize in SA boxing.
Nebe takes on Josh Pretorius in a six-rounder at Emperors Palace, and a win there could secure him the right to take on unbeaten champion Tian Fick.
Pretorius will be a good test for Nebe, who just a few years ago was mocked for his wild style while winning the SA amateur crown.
Pretorius has seven wins in 12 outings, has twice gone the distance with Fick, he's been stopped only once, and he has fought 59 rounds.
Nebe, with five wins (four inside the distance), has just eight rounds to his name. But he brings size, grunt and a brutality.
He has resembled a caveman trying to club his next meal into submission, following his victories with a massive roar that could send King Kong scurrying for cover.
Toweel has slowly been transforming Nebe's flailing fists into guided missiles.
Nebe, a student of the old heavyweight greats, says it's paying off.
To win a SA title is an enormous privilege
— Alan Toweel
"If you put me against myself in my first four fights, I would beat those four versions of myself on the same night," said Nebe, who stands two metres and weighed in at 124kg for his last fight.
He still has much to learn, like the symbiosis between feet and hands, but his arsenal of punches and combinations is growing.
Nebe has flattened four of his opponents in the first round, but had to rely on a four-round split decision to see off Danny Ngokwey in his fourth outing in October 2019.
He had purposely held back, practising technique while getting some rounds under his belt, but the ploy nearly backfired.
"I don't want a fight to go the distance ever again. In that fight [against Ngokwey] I was focused more on calming myself down. Alan wanted me to not be wild . so I went a bit overboard with the calming, and that caused me to go the distance and I nearly lost the fight.
"It felt terrible," added the 25-year-old father of one, who drives to Johannesburg from Potchefstroom to train. "To me it felt like a loss."
Stablemate Nyangani agrees that Nebe is picking up the technical elements Toweel is teaching him, but the core brutality will always remain.
"When I watch the big boys fight they only fight wars," Nyangani said with a chuckle, waving a finger in Nebe's direction. "It's kill or be killed."
Competing at 47.63kg himself, the mini-flyweight would have to almost treble his weight to match Nebe on the scales. Nebe's fist is nearly as big as his head.
Nyangani, a former eight-times national amateur champion from Mthatha, prefers to concentrate on the science. "I can't do that [fight wars]. To me it's all about skill."
With a record of 11 wins, one loss and a draw, he dreams of winning a world title one day and unifying the division, but first he wants to gain more experience defending his SA belt.
He's hoping to make the first defence of the strap in the next few months.
Toweel believes the national crown still holds value. "To win a SA title is an enormous privilege."
Apart from the prestige, the belt can also help push boxers up some of the international ranking systems.
Toweel learned the ropes from his fistic family - his late father Alan was a top trainer, uncle Vic was an undisputed world champion, uncle Willie drew in his bid for the world title and there were others who were top local fighters. Between them the fighting Toweels accumulated eight SA titles.
Toweel, with wife Marisa working as the boxers' manager, has been swimming well against the current, where many boxers are struggling for action.
"You as a trainer and manager must do your job, you must harass promoters for fights, you must try to keep them busy."
That's paramount for a small gym with big dreams.
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