Marijan Beneš

Marijan Beneš (11 June 1951 – 4 September 2018) was a Yugoslavian 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. 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), 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

1973 Balkan Championships, Athens, Greece Light welterweight 1/2: Defeated Calistrat Cutov (Romania) 3:2 Finals: Defeated Athanasios Iliadis (Greece) 5:0

1976 Balkan Championships, Zagreb, Yugoslavia Welterweight 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. He died on 4 September 2018 at the age of 67.

Boxing record as a professional

Win

KO 2 02/02/1997

Win

TKO 5 03/05/1991

Win

KO 6 02/12/1983

Loss

KO 1 16/04/1983

Win

RTD 6 31/03/1983

Win

PTS 10 27/01/1983

Loss

MD 12 28/10/1982

Win

KO 4 10/06/1982

Win

KO 2 09/03/1982

Win

KO 1 19/12/1981

Win

TKO 4 06/11/1981

Win

PTS 10 18/09/1981

Loss

PTS 12 19/03/1981

Win

TKO 9 09/02/1981

Win

PTS 10 20/12/1980

Win

TKO 5 06/10/1980

Loss

UD 15 12/06/1980

Win

KO 3 28/03/1980

Draw

PTS 12 13/02/1980

Win

TKO 3 05/11/1979

Loss

TKO 6 25/08/1979

Win

TKO 8 06/06/1979

Win

KO 1 28/04/1979

Win

KO 4 17/03/1979

Win

PTS 10 18/11/1978

Win

PTS 10 02/09/1978

Win

PTS 8 29/05/1978

Win

KO 5 06/05/1978

Win

KO 1 07/04/1978

Loss

TKO 3 15/02/1978

Win

PTS 8 16/01/1978

Win

KO 3 16/12/1977

Win

TKO 4 10/12/1977

Win

PTS 8 18/11/1977

Win

TKO 2 31/10/1977

Win

PTS 8 10/10/1977

Win

KO 2 01/10/1977

Win

PTS 6 24/09/1977

Win

PTS 4 06/08/1977