- Hogan Bassey
Hogan "Kid" Bassey (
1932-06-03 –1998-01-26 ) wasNigeria 's first world boxing champion. He was born Okun Asuguo Bassey on the banks of theCross River in Creek Town,Calabar ,Nigeria . [ [http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/bassey.htm The Cyber Boxing Zone ] ] He took the name Hogan Kid Bassey when he turned professional as a boxer. He possessed a tremendous heart in and out of the ring and that rarest of boxing skills - a true knockout punch.Boxing career
After 14 contests in
Nigeria , Bassey went toLiverpool , [ [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19980406/ai_n14157075 Obituary: Hogan Bassey | Independent, The (London) | Find Articles at BNET.com ] ] England in 1952 and before long had impressed everyone with his pleasant manner outside the ring and his powerful punching in the ring.After winning the Empire featherweight championship he also won the world crown by his defeat of French Algerian Cherif Hamia in
Paris ,France in 1957. He lost the title to U.S. fighter David S. "Davey" Moore onMarch 18 1959 .During his career he fought Billy "Spider" Kelly,
Percy Lewis , Tommy Profitt, Sammy McCarthy,Ricardo Moreno , andWillie Pep . [http://www.lmu.livjm.ac.uk/inmylife/template.aspx?itemid=1223]Life after boxing
In 1959 he was awarded the MBE [ [http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/harticles/hogan.htm Hogan ] ] following his world title win and went on to become a respected coach in
Nigeria who awarded him the country's highest honour in 1973. He died peacefully in the early hours ofJanuary 26 1998 at his home inApapa ,Lagos .References
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