Marijan Beneš (11 June 1951 – 4 September 2018) was a Yugoslavian boxer from

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. 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 The European Amateur Boxing Championships is the highest competition for boxing amateurs in Europe, organised by the continent's governing body EUBC, which stands for the '' European Boxing Confederation''. The first edition of the tournament t ...

in Belgrade, he turned professional in 1977, and won the

European Boxing Union The European Boxing Union (EBU), formerly known as the International Boxing Union (IBU), is a pan-European governing body that sanctions championship bouts in professional boxing. The EBU governs the EBU European Championship, in addition to their ...

title in the

light welterweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...

s 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 Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

father Josip and

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...

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 Tuzla (, , ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inha ...

. 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

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

, 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.

Career

During his amateur career, Beneš won nine titles in Bosnia, four titles of Yugoslav champion, and a number of other competitions. In 1973, he won the European title in light welterweight in

and he received the " Golden Badge", an award for the Best Athlete of the year in

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. Soon after he caught

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver parenchyma, liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), Anorexia (symptom), poor appetite ...

, which could have meant the end of the career. "Radically stubborn" (as he said himself), and devoted to boxing, he decided to continue. He also participated in the

1976 Montreal Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal w ...

, but lost in the second round.

Highlights

1973

European championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

Light welterweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...

* 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 Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

* 1/2: Defeated Calistrat Cutov (Romania) 3:2 * Finals: Defeated Athanasios Iliadis (Greece) 5:0 1976 Balkan Championships,

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

* 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 Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

ever. He eventually lost the EBU crown to Louis Acaries in 1981. A severe injury of his left eye effectively sealed his career. It is not exactly known which match caused it; by one account, it was a match with Luigi Minchillo in 1983, and by another, it originated from the 1979 match with Sandy Torres in

Zenica Zenica ( ; ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an administrative and economic center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is located in the Bosna (river), Bosna river valley, about north of Sarajevo. The ...

, and the condition worsened since. During the career, he had a number of other injuries: 26

bone fracture A bone fracture (abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #) is a medical condition in which there is a partial or complete break in the continuity of any bone in the body. In more severe cases, the bone may be broken into several fragments, known as a ''c ...

s and damaged

vocal cords In humans, the vocal cords, also known as vocal folds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through Speech, vocalization. The length of the vocal cords affects the pitch of voice, similar to a violin string. Open when brea ...

, that caused him to speak quietly and slowly. He withdrew from the ring in 1983, fighting only two more exhibition matches in 1990s. The ring injury eventually left Beneš blind in his left eye.

After boxing and death

Beneš's brother was killed in 1992, during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

. Beneš also participated in the war. At the end of the war in 1995, he was forced to leave Banja Luka after a number of threats. He sold his possessions cheaply, and during the war he stayed in Medulin and

, in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, in poverty. He divorced his wife Stana, who moved to

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...

, Serbia, with their daughters Žanet and Marijana. As he put it, "everything turned around; people started hating each other overnight...there are great people, but the war helped me realize who is the real people and who is scum." He returned to Banja Luka in 1996, after the end of the war, continuing to live modestly. "I lived in Croatia, people respected me, but I'm used to the old friends". In 2004, a

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

of Beneš's life, titled ''Bio jednom jedan šampion'' (''Once Upon a Time There Was a Champion'') was recorded in the production of Independent Television Banja Luka. Despite modest ambitions, it toured all over the former Yugoslavia, and Beneš was frequent guest on promotions. Beneš lived the rest of his life in Banja Luka under modest circumstances, mostly financed by his sister Ljiljana. He published a book of poems ''Druga strana medalje'' (Another Side of Coin), devoted to sports, and he said that he had written a dozen more, and that he planned to publish them. Despite regular physical activity and a healthy diet, his boxing career and advanced age caused some health complications. In 2017, Beneš had

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

and was a wheelchair user. He died on 4 September 2018 at the age of 67.

Boxing record as a professional

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 32 Wins (21 knockouts, 11 decisions), 6 Losses (3 knockouts, 3 decisions), 1 Draw , - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , Win , , align=left, Cliff McCourry , KO , 2 , 02/02/1997 , align=left,

Požega, Croatia Požega () is a city in western Slavonia, eastern Croatia, with a total population of 22,364 (census 2021). It is the administrative center of the Požega-Slavonia County. Name Between 1921 and 1991, the town was known as ''Slavonska Požega''. ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Salvatore Di Salvatore , TKO , 5 , 03/05/1991 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Maurice Bufi , KO , 6 , 02/12/1983 , align=left,

Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle (sometimes shortened to Schleyer-Halle) is an indoor arena located in Stuttgart, Germany. The capacity of the arena is nearly 15,000 people. The venue was built in 1983 and is named for Hanns Martin Schleyer, a German ...

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Johnny Heard , KO , 1 , 16/04/1983 , align=left,

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mbayo Wa Mbayo , RTD , 6 , 31/03/1983 , align=left,

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Darwin Brewster , PTS , 10 , 27/01/1983 , align=left,

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Luigi Minchillo , MD , 12 , 28/10/1982 , align=left,

San Severo San Severo (; formerly spelled Sansevero and previously known as San Severino; ; ) is a (municipality) of inhabitants in the province of Foggia, Apulia, Southern Italy. Rising on the foot of the spur of Gargano, San Severo adjoins the communes ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gordie Lawson , KO , 4 , 10/06/1982 , align=left,

Titograd Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tony Desroche , KO , 2 , 09/03/1982 , align=left,

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Randy Milton , KO , 1 , 19/12/1981 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Franz Dorfer , TKO , 4 , 06/11/1981 , align=left,

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Andre Mongelema , PTS , 10 , 18/09/1981 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Louis Acaries , PTS , 12 , 19/03/1981 , align=left,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Antonio Alejandro Garrido , TKO , 9 , 09/02/1981 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Sandy Torres , PTS , 10 , 20/12/1980 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Georges Warusfel , TKO , 5 , 06/10/1980 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Ayub Kalule , UD , 15 , 12/06/1980 , align=left, Randers Hallen,

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is List of cities and towns in Denmark, Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 64,511 ().Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Freddie Boynton , KO , 3 , 28/03/1980 , align=left,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Damiano Lassandro , PTS , 12 , 13/02/1980 , align=left,

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Adrie Huussen , TKO , 3 , 05/11/1979 , align=left, Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis,

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Sandy Torres , TKO , 6 , 25/08/1979 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Andoni Amana , TKO , 8 , 06/06/1979 , align=left,

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

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, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Zip Castillo , KO , 1 , 28/04/1979 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gilbert Cohen , KO , 4 , 17/03/1979 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Everaldo Costa Azevedo , PTS , 10 , 18/11/1978 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Elisha Obed , PTS , 10 , 02/09/1978 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tiger Quaye , PTS , 8 , 29/05/1978 , align=left, Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Peter "Cricket" Neal , KO , 5 , 06/05/1978 , align=left,

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tiger Quaye , KO , 1 , 07/04/1978 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Tiger Quaye , TKO , 3 , 15/02/1978 , align=left, Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Pat Thomas , PTS , 8 , 16/01/1978 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Wa Bukasa , KO , 3 , 16/12/1977 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Steve Angell , TKO , 4 , 10/12/1977 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Alain Ruocco , PTS , 8 , 18/11/1977 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mick Minter , TKO , 2 , 31/10/1977 , align=left, Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Scottish John Smith , PTS , 8 , 10/10/1977 , align=left, Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rhida Hakima , KO , 2 , 01/10/1977 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Pascal Zito , PTS , 6 , 24/09/1977 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Clement Tshinza , PTS , 4 , 06/08/1977 , align=left,

Deutschlandhalle Deutschlandhalle was an arena located in the Westend (Berlin), Westend neighbourhood of Berlin, Germany. It was inaugurated on 29 November 1935 by Adolf Hitler. The building was granted landmark status in 1995, but was demolished on 3 December 20 ...

Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a German town law, town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Kingdom ...

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Benes, Marijan Martial artists from Belgrade Bosnia and Herzegovina male boxers Croatian male boxers Light-welterweight boxers Welterweight boxers Olympic boxers for Yugoslavia Boxers at the 1976 Summer Olympics 1951 births 2018 deaths Serbian people of Croatian descent Yugoslav male boxers Sportspeople with visual impairment Serbian people with disabilities Yugoslav people with disabilities 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen