About Willi Besmanoff
Lived 1932 – 2010 (aged 78). Willi Besmanoff was a boxer.
William David Besmanoff (October 4, 1932 – October 20, 2010) 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.
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.
Professional boxing record
Loss
TKO 3 01/08/1967
Loss 53–31–8
RTD 2 27/05/1967
Loss 53–30–8
TKO 3 04/04/1967
Win 53–29–8
KO 9 09/12/1966
Loss 52–29–8
PTS 10 09/11/1966
Win 52–28–8
SD 10 01/11/1966
Win 51–28–8
SD 10 22/09/1966
Win 50–28–8
UD 10 12/08/1966
Win 49–28–8
KO 1 22/07/1966
Win 48–28–8
SD 10 01/07/1966
Loss 47–28–8
TKO 6 17/12/1963
Loss 47–27–8
KO 3 11/12/1963
Draw 47–26–8
PTS 10 14/11/1963
Win 47–26–7
TKO 4 05/07/1963
Loss 46–26–7
TKO 7 29/11/1961
Loss 46–25–7
TKO 7 28/08/1961
Loss 46–24–7
TKO 4 27/06/1961
Loss 46–23–7
SD 10 18/02/1961
Loss 46–22–7
UD 10 13/12/1960
Win 46–21–7
SD 10 21/11/1960
Win 45–21–7
UD 10 18/10/1960
Loss 44–21–7
UD 10 16/09/1960
Loss 44–20–7
UD 10 08/08/1960
Loss 44–19–7
TKO 10 25/05/1960
Loss 44–18–7
PTS 10 14/03/1960
Loss 44–17–7
UD 10 05/02/1960
Loss 44–16–7
TKO 7 09/12/1959
Loss 44–15–7
UD 10 16/09/1959
Win 44–14–7
UD 10 01/08/1959
Win 43–14–7
UD 10 16/06/1959
Win 42–14–7
UD 10 18/05/1959
Loss 41–14–7
UD 10 07/04/1959
Loss 41–13–7
UD 10 26/01/1959
Loss 41–12–7
UD 10 28/11/1958
Win 41–11–7
RTD 1 23/09/1958
Loss 40–11–7
UD 10 13/06/1958
Loss 40–10–7
SD 10 02/05/1958
Win 40–9–7
SD 10 04/02/1958
Loss 39–9–7
UD 10 27/11/1957
Loss 39–8–7
UD 10 29/10/1957
Loss 39–7–7
UD 10 25/09/1957
Loss 39–6–7
UD 10 10/06/1957
Loss 39–5–7
UD 10 20/05/1957
Win 39–4–7
UD 10 01/04/1957
Win 38–4–7
UD 10 25/02/1957
Win 37–4–7
PTS 8 20/10/1956
Win 36–4–7
TKO 5 21/09/1956
Win 35–4–7
PTS 8 15/09/1956
Win 34–4–7
TKO 9 07/09/1956
Win 33–4–7
PTS 8 28/06/1956
Win 32–4–7
PTS 8 09/06/1956
Win 31–4–7
KO 8 11/05/1956
Win 30–4–7
PTS 8 02/03/1956
Win 29–4–7
PTS 8 04/02/1956
Win 28–4–7
PTS 8 22/01/1956
Win 27–4–7
KO 4 13/01/1956
Loss 26–4–7
PTS 6 05/12/1955
Loss 26–3–7
PTS 10 25/11/1955
Win 26–2–7
KO 6 14/10/1955
Win 25–2–7
PTS 8 09/09/1955
Win 24–2–7
PTS 8 22/07/1955
Draw 23–2–7
PTS 8 12/06/1955
Loss 23–2–6
PTS 8 04/06/1955
Win 23–1–6
KO 3 20/05/1955
Draw 22–1–6
PTS 8 27/03/1955
Win 22–1–5
PTS 8 11/03/1955
Win 21–1–5
KO 2 11/02/1955
Win 20–1–5
TKO 4 21/01/1955
Win 19–1–5
PTS 8 10/12/1954
Win 18–1–5
DQ 8 25/09/1954
Win 17–1–5
PTS 10 27/08/1954
Draw 16–1–5
PTS 8 11/07/1954
Win 16–1–4
PTS 8 10/06/1954
Win 15–1–4
PTS 8 09/04/1954
Draw 14–1–4
PTS 8 05/03/1954
Loss 14–1–3
PTS 8 22/01/1954
Win 14–0–3
KO 3 15/01/1954
Win 13–0–3
TKO 5 27/12/1953
Win 12–0–3
PTS 6 04/12/1953
Win 11–0–3
PTS 6 13/11/1953
Win 10–0–3
TKO 8 07/10/1953
Win 9–0–3
KO 2 28/08/1953
Win 8–0–3
PTS 4 05/07/1953
Draw 7–0–3
PTS 6 16/05/1953
Draw 7–0–2
PTS 6 17/04/1953
Draw 7–0–1
PTS 6 15/02/1953
Win 7–0
KO 2 26/12/1952
Win 6–0
KO 2 21/11/1952
Win 5–0
PTS 6 09/11/1952
Win 4–0
PTS 6 17/10/1952
Win 3–0
TKO 2 14/09/1952
Win 2–0
PTS 4 05/09/1952
Win 1–0
KO 4 15/08/1952
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Important facts
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Willi Besmanoff?
German boxer (1932-2010)
When was Willi Besmanoff born?
Willi Besmanoff was born on 4 October 1932 in Munich.
When did Willi Besmanoff die?
Willi Besmanoff died on 20 October 2010 in Florida, Jacksonville, USA.
What was Willi Besmanoff's occupation?
Willi Besmanoff was a boxer.
What nationality was Willi Besmanoff?
Willi Besmanoff's recorded nationality: German citizenship.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Willi Besmanoff. https://biography.guide/willi-besmanoff/
MLA: "Willi Besmanoff." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/willi-besmanoff/.
Chicago: "Willi Besmanoff." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/willi-besmanoff/.
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