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. He was born Okon Asuquo Bassey on the banks of the Cross River, Creek Town,

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and c ...

, Nigeria, and became naturalised British when he moved to the UK, where he spent most of his life in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

. He took the name Kid Bassey when he turned professional as a boxer. He was managed by and trained by George Biddles and Jimmy August.

Boxing career

After 14 contests in Nigeria, Bassey went to

, England, arriving there three days before Christmas 1951. 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 Ricardo Moreno Escamilla (February 7, 1937 - June 25, 2008) was a Mexican professional boxer in the Super Featherweight division. Moreno was ranked #76 on The Ring's list of 100 All time Greatest Punchers. Early life Moreno was born and raise ...

, and

Willie Pep Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scre ...

Life after boxing

In the

1958 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1958 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the '' Lo ...

, he was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) "for services to sport in the Eastern Region, Nigeria". Bassey went on to become a coach in Nigeria, which awarded him the country's highest honour, the

Order of the Niger Nigeria became an independent country on 1 October 1960 and in 1963 became the Federal Republic of Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Repu ...

, in 1973. He died on 26 January 1998 at his home in

Apapa Apapa is a Local Government Area in Lagos, located to the west of Lagos Island. Apapa contains a number of ports and terminals operated by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), including the major port of Lagos State and Lagos Port Complex (LPC ...

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

Professional boxing record

, - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="8", 59 Wins (21 knockouts, 38 decisions), 13 Losses (4 knockouts, 9 decisions), 2 Draws , - style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Result , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Record , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Type , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Round , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Location , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes , - align=center , Loss , 68–13–4 , align=left, Davey Moore , RTD , 11 (15) , 19 August 1959 , align=left, Los Angeles, United States , align=left, , - , Loss , 68–12–4 , align=left, Davey Moore , RTD , 13 (15) , 18 March 1959 , align=left, Los Angeles, United States , align=left, , - , Win , 68–11–4 , align=left, Ernesto Parra , UD , 10 , 13 December 1958 , align=left, Hollywood, United States , , - , Win , 67–11–4 , align=left, Carmelo Costa , UD , 10 , 31 October 1958 , align=left, New York City, United States , , - , Win , 66–11–4 , align=left,

, TKO , 9 , 20 September 1958 , align=left,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Win , 65–11–4 , align=left, Jules Touan , TKO , 7 , 24 June 1958 , align=left, Kensington, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 64–11–4 , align=left,

, KO , 3 (15) , 1 April 1958 , align=left, Los Angeles, United States , align=left, , - , Win , 63–11–4 , align=left, Jean Pierre Cossemyns , PTS , 10 , 23 January 1958 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 62–11–4 , align=left, Victor Pepeder , PTS , 10 , 7 October 1957 , align=left,

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robin ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 61–11–4 , align=left, Cherif Hamia , TKO , 10 (15) , 24 June 1957 , align=left, Paris, France , align=left, , - , Win , 60–11–4 , align=left, Miguel Berrios , UD , 12 , 26 April 1957 , align=left,

Washington, District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morga ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , 59–11–4 , align=left, Percy Lewis , PTS , 15 , 1 April 1957 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 58–11–4 , align=left, Joao Dos Santos , PTS , 10 , 26 November 1956 , align=left, Leicester, East Midlands, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 57–11–4 , align=left, Jean Sneyers , TKO , 4 , 26 November 1956 , align=left, Liège,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 57–10–4 , align=left, Alby Tissong , PTS , 8 , 6 September 1956 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 56–10–4 , align=left, Aldo Pravisani , PTS , 8 , 3 May 1956 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 55–10–4 , align=left, Louis Cabo , TKO , 4 , 22 March 1956 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , , - , Win , 54–10–4 , align=left, Jean Sneyers , TKO , 4 , 7 February 1956 , align=left,

Harringay Harringay (pronounced ) is a district of north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is centred on the section of Green Lanes running between the New River, where it crosses Green Lanes by Finsbury Park, and Duckett' ...

, London, United Kingdom , , - , Win , 53–10–4 , align=left, Billy Kelly , KO , 8 , 19 November 1955 , align=left,

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 52–10–4 , align=left, Joe Quinn , KO , 1 , 8 October 1955 , align=left,

, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 51–10–4 , align=left, Juan Oscar Alvarez , PTS , 10 , 25 August 1955 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 50–10–4 , align=left, Andre Pierson , PTS , 10 , 3 June 1955 , align=left, Manchester, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 49–10–4 , align=left, Marcel Ranvial , KO , 5 , 22 March 1955 , align=left, Kensington, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 48–10–4 , align=left, Percy Lewis , PTS , 8 , 31 January 1955 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 47–10–4 , align=left, Aime Devisch , PTS , 10 , 29 November 1954 , align=left, Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 46–10–4 , align=left, Harry Ramsden , PTS , 8 , 27 October 1954 , align=left, Blackpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 45–10–4 , align=left, Luis Romero , PTS , 10 , 3 September 1954 , align=left,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 44–10–4 , align=left, Jo Woussem , PTS , 8 , 12 August 1954 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 44–9–4 , align=left, Jacques Legendre , PTS , 10 , 2 July 1954 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 43–9–4 , align=left, Enrico Macale , PTS , 8 , 3 June 1954 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 42–9–4 , align=left, Jean Sneyers , PTS , 10 , 29 April 1954 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 41–9–4 , align=left, Johnny Butterworth , PTS , 10 , 4 March 1954 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 40–9–4 , align=left, Billy Kelly , PTS , 8 , 8 December 1953 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 40–8–4 , align=left,

Sammy McCarthy Sammy McCarthy (5 November 193110 February 2020) was a British professional boxer who was the featherweight champion between 1954 and 1955. He also fought for the British lightweight title and the European and British Empire featherweight titles. ...

, PTS , 10 , 6 October 1953 , align=left, Kensington, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 39–8–4 , align=left, Juan Oscar Alvarez , PTS , 10 , 7 September 1953 , align=left, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 39–7–4 , align=left, Tommy Higgins , PTS , 8 , 27 August 1953 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 38–7–4 , align=left, Denny Dawson , KO , 4 , 9 July 1953 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 37–7–4 , align=left, Emile Chemama , TKO , 5 , 24 March 1953 , align=left, Kensington, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 37–6–4 , align=left, Luis Romero , TKO , 8 , 27 February 1953 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 36–6–4 , align=left, Johnny Haywood , DQ , 3 , 30 January 1953 , align=left, Blackpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 36–5–4 , align=left, Ken Lawrence , TKO , 5 , 20 January 1953 , align=left, Kensington, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 35–5–4 , align=left, Jackie Briers , PTS , 10 , 8 January 1953 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 34–5–4 , align=left, Bobby Boland , TKO , 5 , 15 December 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 33–5–4 , align=left, Jean Pierre Cossemyns , PTS , 10 , 8 December 1952 , align=left, Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 33–4–4 , align=left, Tommy Proffitt , TKO , 7 , 14 November 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 32–4–4 , align=left, Tommy Proffitt , PTS , 8 , 27 October 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 31–4–4 , align=left, Eddie Carson , PTS , 8 , 9 October 1952 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 30–4–4 , align=left, Eddie McCormick , PTS , 8 , 22 September 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 29–4–4 , align=left, Stan Skinless , TKO , 7 , 11 September 1952 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 28–4–4 , align=left, Tommy Higgins , PTS , 8 , 28 August 1952 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 27–4–4 , align=left, Jimmy Cardew , PTS , 8 , 7 August 1952 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 26–4–4 , align=left, Johnny Barclay , KO , 6 , 28 July 1952 , align=left, West Hartlepool, County Durham, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 25–4–4 , align=left, Ivor Davies , KO , 2 , 23 June 1952 , align=left, West Hartlepool, County Durham, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 24–4–4 , align=left, Frankie Williams , PTS , 8 , 15 May 1952 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 24–3–4 , align=left, John Kelly , PTS , 8 , 26 April 1952 , align=left,

, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 24–2–4 , align=left, Bobby Boland , KO , 5 , 17 April 1952 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Draw , 23–2–4 , align=left, Glyn Evans , PTS , 8 , 1 April 1952 , align=left,

Hanley, Staffordshire Hanley is one of the six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Fenton, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. Hanley is the ''de facto'' city centre, having long been the ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 23–2–3 , align=left, Len Shaw , PTS , 8 , 24 March 1952 , align=left,

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distri ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 22–2–3 , align=left, Tommy Higgins , PTS , 8 , 5 March 1952 , align=left, Blackpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 21–2–3 , align=left, Peter Fay , PTS , 8 , 19 February 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 20–2–3 , align=left, Ray Hillyard , TKO , 4 , 31 January 1952 , align=left, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 19–2–3 , align=left, Young Spider Neequaye , PTS , 12 , 28 September 1951 , align=left,

Lagos, Nigeria Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 18–2–3 , align=left, Steve Jeffra , PTS , 12 , 29 August 1951 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Draw , 17–2–3 , align=left, Little Joe , PTS , 10 , Jul 08, 1951 , align=left, Emmy Cinema Theatre, Aba , align=left, , - , Win , 17–2–2 , align=left, Adjetey Sowah , PTS , 10 , 30 May 1951 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 16–2–2 , align=left, Jack Salami , PTS , 8 , 16 May 1951 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 15–2–2 , align=left, Kid Chukudi , TKO , 3 , 4 May 1951 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 14–2–2 , align=left, Dick Turpin , PTS , 6 , 29 January 1951 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 13–2–2 , align=left, Joe Bennett , TKO , 10 (12) , Nov 10, 1950 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 12–2–2 , align=left, Eddie Phillips , PTS , 6 , Oct 06, 1950 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 11–2–2 , align=left, Steve Jeffra , PTS , 12 , 7 July 1950 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Draw , 10–2–2 , align=left, Ogli Tettey , PTS , 12 , 31 May 1950 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 10–2–1 , align=left, Bola Lawal , TKO , 5 (6) , Mar 01, 1950 , align=left, Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos , , - , Win , 10–1–1 , align=left, Bob Emmanuel , TKO , 4 (12) , Dec 26, 1949 , align=left, Railway Stadium, Lagos , align=left, , - , Loss , 9–1–1 , align=left, Dick Turpin , DQ , 5 (12) , Nov 28, 1949 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 9–0–1 , align=left, Texas Kid , PTS , 10 , 26 October 1949 , align=left, Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos , align=left, , - , Win , 8–0–1 , align=left, Dick Turpin , PTS , 12 , 27 July 1949 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 7–0–1 , align=left, Jack Sala , TKO , 4 (6)) , 27 Jul 1949 , align=left, Royal Hotel, Lagos , , - , Win , 6–0–1 , align=left, Ogli Tettey , PTS , 12 , 28 Mar 1949 , align=left, Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos , , - , Win , 5–0–1 , align=left, Jack Sala , TKO , 4 (6) , 31 January 1949 , align=left, African Tennis Club, Lagos , , - , Win , 4–0–1 , align=left, Hurry Kid , KO , 4 (6) , 30 December 1948 , align=left, Lagos , , - , Win , 3–0–1 , align=left, Hurry Kid , PTS , 6 , 29 November 1948 , align=left, Lagos , , - , Draw , 2–0–1 , align=left, Bolo Lawal , PTS , 6 , 26 May 1948 , align=left, Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos , , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Jack Sala , PTS , 6 , 6 February 1948 , align=left, Lagos , , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Jimmy Brown , PTS , 6 , 28 November 1947 , align=left, African Tennis Club, Lagos ,

External links

* *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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bassey, Hogan 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

Boxing career

Life after boxing

Professional boxing record

See also

External links

References