Hogan Bassey
Hogan Bassey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 27 April 1932 Cross River, Creek Town, Calabar, Nigeria |
| Died | 26 January 1998 (aged 65) |
Hogan "Kid" Bassey ⓘ MBE MON (3 June 1932 – 26 January 1998) was a Nigerian-British boxer; he was the first man of Nigerian descent to become a world boxing champion.[1]
He was born Okon Asuquo Bassey on the banks of the Cross River Creek Town, Calabar, Nigeria, and became naturalised British when he moved to the UK, where he spent most of his life in Liverpool.[2] He took the name Kid Bassey when he turned professional as a boxer. He was managed and trained by Peter Banasko from Liverpool. After winning the British Empire Featherweight title George Biddles bought out Bassey's Contract for £600 which was a big risk at the time. He was then managed and trained by Biddles and Jimmy August.[3]
Boxing career
[edit]After 14 contests in Nigeria, Bassey went to Liverpool, England, arriving there three days before Christmas 1951.[4]
After winning the Empire featherweight championship, he won the WBA world featherweight title by defeating French Algerian Cherif Hamia in Paris on the 24 June 1957. He lost the title to US fighter Davey Moore on 18 March 1959. Other opponents include Billy "Spider" Kelly, Percy Lewis, Tommy Profitt, Sammy McCarthy, Ricardo Moreno, and Willie Pep.[citation needed]
Life after boxing
[edit]In the 1958 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "for services to sport in the Eastern Region, Nigeria".[5][6] Bassey went on to become a coach in Nigeria, which awarded him the country's highest honour, the Order of the Niger, in 1973.[7] He died on 26 January 1998 at his home in Apapa, Lagos.
Professional boxing record
[edit]
Titles in boxing
[edit]Major world titles
[edit]- NYSAC featherweight champion (126 lbs)
- NBA (WBA) featherweight champion (126 lbs)
The Ring magazine titles
[edit]- The Ring featherweight champion (126 lbs)
Regional/International titles
[edit]- Nigerian flyweight champion (112 lbs)
- Nigerian bantamweight champion (118 lbs)
- West African bantamweight champion (118 lbs)
- Commonwealth featherweight champion (126 lbs)
Undisputed titles
[edit]See also
[edit]External links
[edit]- Boxing record for Hogan Bassey from BoxRec (registration required)
- https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1957
- https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1958
- https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1959
References
[edit]- ^ "Hogan "Kid" Bassey – First Nigerian to become a world boxing champion". Records Nigeria. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ "Hogan "Kid" Bassey". The Cyber Boxing Zone. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ^ "Biography at boxrec.com". boxrec.com. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ "Obituary: Hogan Bassey". Independent (London). FindArticles.com. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ^ United Kingdom list: "No. 41268". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1957. p. 25.
- ^ "Hogan". NigerDeltaCongress.com. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ^ "Hogan "Kid" Bassey — Meet the First Nigerian To Become A World Boxing Champion". Talk Africana. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ "Hogan Kid Bassey – Boxer". BoxRec.com. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- 1932 births
- 1998 deaths
- People from Cross River State
- Nigerian male boxers
- British male boxers
- Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
- People of Efik descent
- Featherweight boxers
- World featherweight boxing champions
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Members of the Order of the Niger
- Nigerian emigrants to the United Kingdom
- 20th-century Nigerian sportsmen