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Marijan Beneš
Benes.jpg
Marijan Beneš in 2009
Statistics
Real name Marijan Beneš
Rated at Light middleweight
Nationality Yugoslav → Bosnian
Born (1951-06-11)11 June 1951
Belgrade, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia
Died 4 September 2018(2018-09-04) (aged 67)
Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 39
Wins 32
Losses 6
Draws 1
Medal record
Men’s Boxing
Representing  Yugoslavia
European Amateur Boxing Championships
Gold 1973 Belgrade Light welterweight

Marijan Beneš (11 June 1951 – 4 September 2018) was a Yugoslav boxer from Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is considered one of the best boxers in Yugoslav history. After a brilliant amateur career, culminating in the gold medal in European Amateur Boxing Championships in Belgrade, he turned professional in 1977, and won the European Boxing Union title in the light welterweights in 1979. Next year he fought for the WBA World super welterweight title but lost to title holder Ayub Kalule on points. Beneš withdrew from the ring in 1983, after a severe eye injury. In 2020 he was named as the best Bosnian boxer in 20th century.

Biography

Beneš was born in Belgrade to Croat father Josip and Serb mother Marija (née Vukić). Under the influence of his father, a music teacher, Beneš played piano and violin in his childhood. He had three brothers and one sister. He spent his childhood in Tuzla. Marijan was one of the famous four Beneš brothers (Antun, Ivica, Josip, Marijan) that competed for Sloboda Tuzla. His life took a radical turn when he (allegedly) entered the ring in Tuzla at the age of 10 and won against an 18-year-old opponent. His first coaches were Bego Huseljić and Miloš Todorović. When he was 16, he left Bokserski klub Sloboda Tuzla and joined Bokserski klub Slavija in Banja Luka, where he would stay during his entire amateur career.

Beneš described himself as being staunchly opposed to "Greater Serbs" and "Greater Croats", maintaining a Yugoslav identity.

Career

During his amateur career, Beneš won nine titles in Bosnia, four titles of Yugoslav champion, and a number of other competitions. In 1973, he won the European title in light welterweight in Belgrade and he received the "Golden Badge", an award for the Best Athlete of the year in Yugoslavia. Soon after he caught hepatitis, which could have meant the end of the career. "Radically stubborn" (as he said himself), and devoted to boxing, he decided to continue. He also participated in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, but lost in the second round.

Highlights

11973 European championships, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Light welterweight
  • 1/8: Defeated Neville Cole (England) TKO 2
  • 1/4: Defeated Paul Dobrescu (Romania) TKO 2
  • 1/2: Defeated Ulrich Beyer (East Germany) TKOI 2
  • Finals: Defeated Anatoli Kamnev (Soviet Union) TKOI 2
11973 Balkan Championships, Athens, GreeceLight welterweight
  • 1/2: Defeated Calistrat Cutov (Romania) 3:2
  • Finals: Defeated Athanasios Iliadis (Greece) 5:0
11976 Balkan Championships, Zagreb, YugoslaviaWelterweight
  • 1/4: Defeated Sabahattin Burcu (Turkey) 5:0
  • 1/2: Defeated Viktor Tushev (Bulgaria) 5:0
  • Finals: Defeated Vasile Cicu (Romania) 5:0

He turned professional in 1977, rising quickly to the European top. On 17 March 1979, in his hometown Banja Luka, he won the EBU title knocking down the defender, French boxer Gilbert Cohen, in the fourth round. He defended the title successfully four times, and lost on points in 1980 to then WBA world junior middleweight champion Ayub Kalule, for the WBA's world championship in a match regarded as one of toughest in Denmark ever. He eventually lost the EBU crown to Louis Acaries in 1981.

A severe injury of his left eye effectively sealed his career. It is not exactly known which match caused it; by one account, it was a match with Luigi Minchillo in 1983, and by another, it originated from the 1979 match with Sandy Torres in Zenica, and the condition worsened since. During the career, he had a number of other injuries: 26 bone fractures and damaged vocal cords, that caused him to speak quietly and slowly. He withdrew from the ring in 1983, fighting only two more exhibition matches in 1990s. The ring injury eventually left Beneš blind in his left eye.

After boxing and death

Beneš's brother was killed in 1992, during the Bosnian War. Beneš also participated in the war. At the end of the war in 1995, he was forced to leave Banja Luka after a number of threats. He sold his possessions cheaply, and during the war he stayed in Medulin and Zagreb, in Croatia, in poverty. He divorced his wife Stana, who moved to Niš, Serbia, with their daughters Žanet and Marijana. As he put it, "everything turned around; people started hating each other overnight…there are great people, but the war helped me realize who is the real people and who is scum." He returned to Banja Luka in 1996, after the end of the war, continuing to live modestly. "I lived in Croatia, people respected me, but I'm used to the old friends".

In 2004, a documentary film of Beneš's life, titled Bio jednom jedan šampion (Once Upon a Time There Was a Champion) was recorded in the production of Independent Television Banja Luka. Despite modest ambitions, it toured all over the former Yugoslavia, and Beneš was frequent guest on promotions.

Beneš lived the rest of his life in Banja Luka under modest circumstances, mostly financed by his sister Ljiljana. He published a book of poems Druga strana medalje (Another Side of Coin), devoted to sports, and he said that he had written a dozen more, and that he planned to publish them. Despite regular physical activity and a healthy diet, his boxing career and advanced age caused some health complications. In 2017, Beneš had Alzheimer's disease and was a wheelchair user. He died on 4 September 2018 at the age of 67.

Boxing record as a professional

32 Wins (21 knockouts, 11 decisions), 6 Losses (3 knockouts, 3 decisions), 1 Draw
Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Win -- Cliff McCourry KO 2 02/02/1997 Croatia Požega, Croatia
Win 9-2 Italy Salvatore Di Salvatore TKO 5 03/05/1991 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Banja Luka, Yugoslavia
Win 25-14-2 Belgium Maurice Bufi KO 6 02/12/1983 Germany Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Stuttgart, West Germany
Loss 20-32-1 United States Johnny Heard KO 1 16/04/1983 Austria Salzburg, Austria
Win 7-4 France Mbayo Wa Mbayo RTD 6 31/03/1983 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Split, Yugoslavia
Win 11-3-1 Wales Darwin Brewster PTS 10 27/01/1983 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Rijeka, Yugoslavia
Loss 39-2 Italy Luigi Minchillo MD 12 28/10/1982 Italy San Severo, Italy For European light-middleweight title.
Win 7-4-2 Canada Gordie Lawson KO 4 10/06/1982 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Titograd, Yugoslavia
Win -- Tony Desroche KO 2 09/03/1982 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
Win 14-11-3 United States Randy Milton KO 1 19/12/1981 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Split, Yugoslavia
Win 15-5-2 Austria Franz Dorfer TKO 4 06/11/1981 Austria Vienna, Austria
Win 8-2-4 France Andre Mongelema PTS 10 18/09/1981 Austria Vienna, Austria
Loss 29-3 France Louis Acaries PTS 12 19/03/1981 France Paris, France Lost European light-middleweight title.
Win 12-4-1 Chile Antonio Alejandro Garrido TKO 9 09/02/1981 Austria Vienna, Austria
Win 32-14-4 Puerto Rico Sandy Torres PTS 10 20/12/1980 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Split, Yugoslavia
Win 37-8-5 France Georges Warusfel TKO 5 06/10/1980 France Paris, France Retained European light-middleweight title.
Loss 33-0 Uganda Ayub Kalule UD 15 12/06/1980 Denmark Randers Hallen, Randers, Denmark For WBA light-middleweight title.
Win 10-8-2 United States Freddie Boynton KO 3 28/03/1980 Germany Berlin, West Germany
Draw 29-4-1 Italy Damiano Lassandro PTS 12 13/02/1980 Italy Pesaro, Italy Retained European light-middleweight title.
Win 19-0-2 Netherlands Adrie Huussen TKO 3 05/11/1979 Netherlands Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis, Rotterdam, Netherlands Retained European light-middleweight title.
Loss 29-12-4 Puerto Rico Sandy Torres TKO 6 25/08/1979 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zenica, Yugoslavia
Win 26-0 Spain Andoni Amana TKO 8 06/06/1979 Spain Bilbao, Spain Retained European light-middleweight title.
Win 23-13-1 United States Zip Castillo KO 1 28/04/1979 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Win 20-2-1 France Gilbert Cohen KO 4 17/03/1979 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Banja Luka, Yugoslavia Won European light-middleweight title.
Win 72-17-27 Argentina Everaldo Costa Azevedo PTS 10 18/11/1978 Germany Berlin, West Germany
Win 68-5-4 The Bahamas Elisha Obed PTS 10 02/09/1978 Germany Berlin, West Germany
Win 3-11 United Kingdom Tiger Quaye PTS 8 29/05/1978 Netherlands Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Win 8-4-2 United Kingdom Peter "Cricket" Neal KO 5 06/05/1978 Germany Frankfurt, West Germany
Win 3-10 United Kingdom Tiger Quaye KO 1 07/04/1978 Germany Berlin, West Germany
Loss 2-10 United Kingdom Tiger Quaye TKO 3 15/02/1978 Netherlands Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Win 28-7-3 Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla Pat Thomas PTS 8 16/01/1978 Netherlands Rotterdam, Netherlands
Win 12-8 Zaire Wa Bukasa KO 3 16/12/1977 Austria Vienna, Austria
Win 21-7-1 United Kingdom Steve Angell TKO 4 10/12/1977 Germany Berlin, West Germany
Win 19-5-1 France Alain Ruocco PTS 8 18/11/1977 Austria Vienna, Austria
Win 10-8-2 United Kingdom Mick Minter TKO 2 31/10/1977 Netherlands Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Win 23-32-4 Scotland Scottish John Smith PTS 8 10/10/1977 Netherlands Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Win -- Tunisia Rhida Hakima KO 2 01/10/1977 Austria Vienna, Austria
Win 15-12-5 France Pascal Zito PTS 6 24/09/1977 Austria Vienna, Austria
Win 31-11-4 Luxembourg Clement Tshinza PTS 4 06/08/1977 Germany Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg, West Germany
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