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Willi Besmanoff
Born
William David Besmanoff
(1932-10-04)October 4, 1932
Munich, Bavaria, Weimar Republic
Died
October 20, 2010(2010-10-20) (aged 78)
Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Nationality
German citizenship
Statistics
Weight(s)
Heavyweight
Height
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Stance
Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights
93
Wins
51
Wins by KO
19
Losses
34
Draws
8
No contests
0
William David Besmanoff (October 4, 1932 – October 20, 2010)[1] was a German boxer who was a heavyweight contender in the 1950s. He was born in Munich, Germany. His father was Jewish American. When Willi was 11, he was imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp for a short time. In the 1950s he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and became an American citizen.[2]
Making his professional debut in 1952, Besmanoff mainly fought in Germany for the first half of his career, before subsequently relocating to the United States. Besmanoff fought many top contenders of the era, including Sonny Liston, Archie Moore, George Chuvalo, Zora Folley, Eddie Machen, Roy Harris, Willie Pastrano and Bob Foster. He was also an early opponent of Cassius Clay. He retired in 1967, with a final record of 51–34–8.
^Obituary in The St. Augustine Record.
^Ehrmann, Pete (23 February 2011). "A Salute to Willi Besmanoff". The Cyber Boxing Zone.
Ehrmann, Pete (23 February 2011). "A Salute to WilliBesmanoff". The Cyber Boxing Zone. "WilliBesmanoff". BoxRec Boxing Records. Archived from the original...
impressive performance. He rounded out the year by stopping Nino Valdez and WilliBesmanoff. In 1960, Liston won five more fights, including a rematch with Williams...
Esperti, Jim Robinson, Donnie Fleeman, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, WilliBesmanoff, LaMar Clark, Doug Jones, and Henry Cooper. Clay also beat his former...
fight), and defeated Mike De John, Alex Miteff, Pete Rademacher and WilliBesmanoff. Between 1960 and 1962 Folley was knocked out by Sonny Liston, Alejandro...
his period such as Bob Baker, Jerry Quarry, Niño Valdés, Joey Maxim, WilliBesmanoff, Tommy Jackson, Brian London, Howard King and Doug Jones (boxer) Machen...
Esperti, Jim Robinson, Donnie Fleeman, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, WilliBesmanoff, LaMar Clark, Doug Jones and Henry Cooper. Clay also beat his former...
275 days Memorial Auditorium, Dallas, Texas, U.S. 209 Win 178–21–9 (1) WilliBesmanoff TKO 10 (15) May 25, 1960 46 years, 164 days Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis...
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California 5-4, 8-4, 5-6. Loss 42-23-7 WilliBesmanoff UD 10 18/10/1960 Seattle Civic Auditorium, Seattle, Washington Loss...
personality in his native country after he beat the German champion, WilliBesmanoff. In 1958, he defeated Clarence Hinnant, regarded by many as one of...
Roberto Davila KO 4 September 11, 1963 Estadio Nacional, Lima Loss 16–8 WilliBesmanoff TKO 4 July 5, 1963 Jacksonville Beach, Florida Loss 16–7 Ernie Terrell...
PTS 10 Feb 25, 1958 Harringay Arena, London, England 53 Win 43–5–5 WilliBesmanoff UD 10 Nov 27, 1957 Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U...
Massachusetts Referee stopped the bout at 1:30 of the ninth round. Win 42–19–7 WilliBesmanoff PTS 10 14/03/1960 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Win 12–1–1 George...
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