Hogan Bassey

Hogan Bassey MBE MON
Born	(1932-04-27)27 April 1932 Cross River, Creek Town, Calabar, Nigeria
Died	26 January 1998(1998-01-26) (aged 65) Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria

Hogan "Kid" Bassey listen^ⓘ 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.^[1]

He was born Okon Asuquo Bassey on the banks of the Cross River Creek Town, Calabar, Nigeria, and became naturalised British when he moved to the UK, where he spent most of his life in Liverpool.^[2] He took the name Kid Bassey when he turned professional as a boxer. He was managed and trained by Peter Banasko from Liverpool. After winning the British Empire Featherweight title George Biddles bought out Bassey's Contract for £600 which was a big risk at the time. He was then managed and trained by Biddles and Jimmy August.^[3]

Boxing career

After 14 contests in Nigeria, Bassey went to Liverpool, England, arriving there three days before Christmas 1951.^[4]

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, and Willie Pep.^{[citation needed]}

Life after boxing

In the 1958 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "for services to sport in the Eastern Region, Nigeria".^[5][6] Bassey went on to become a coach in Nigeria, which awarded him the country's highest honour, the Order of the Niger, in 1973.^[7] He died on 26 January 1998 at his home in Apapa, Lagos.

Professional boxing record

59 Wins (21 knockouts, 38 decisions), 13 Losses (4 knockouts, 9 decisions), 2 Draws[8]
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	68–13–4	Davey Moore	RTD	11 (15)	19 August 1959	Los Angeles, United States	For NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles
Loss	68–12–4	Davey Moore	RTD	13 (15)	18 March 1959	Los Angeles, United States	Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles
Win	68–11–4	Ernesto Parra	UD	10	13 December 1958	Hollywood, United States
Win	67–11–4	Carmelo Costa	UD	10	31 October 1958	New York City, United States
Win	66–11–4	Willie Pep	TKO	9	20 September 1958	Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	65–11–4	Jules Touan	TKO	7	24 June 1958	Kensington, London, United Kingdom
Win	64–11–4	Ricardo Moreno	KO	3 (15)	1 April 1958	Los Angeles, United States	Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles
Win	63–11–4	Jean Pierre Cossemyns	PTS	10	23 January 1958	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	62–11–4	Victor Pepeder	PTS	10	7 October 1957	Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Win	61–11–4	Cherif Hamia	TKO	10 (15)	24 June 1957	Paris, France	Won vacant NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles
Win	60–11–4	Miguel Berrios	UD	12	26 April 1957	Washington, District of Columbia, United States	featherweight title eliminator
Win	59–11–4	Percy Lewis	PTS	15	1 April 1957	Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom	Retained Commonwealth featherweight title
Win	58–11–4	Joao Dos Santos	PTS	10	26 November 1956	Leicester, East Midlands, United Kingdom
Loss	57–11–4	Jean Sneyers	TKO	4	26 November 1956	Liège, Belgium
Win	57–10–4	Alby Tissong	PTS	8	6 September 1956	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	56–10–4	Aldo Pravisani	PTS	8	3 May 1956	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	55–10–4	Louis Cabo	TKO	4	22 March 1956	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	54–10–4	Jean Sneyers	TKO	4	7 February 1956	Harringay, London, United Kingdom
Win	53–10–4	Billy Kelly	KO	8	19 November 1955	Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom	Commonwealth Featherweight Title.
Win	52–10–4	Joe Quinn	KO	1	8 October 1955	Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Win	51–10–4	Juan Oscar Alvarez	PTS	10	25 August 1955	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	50–10–4	Andre Pierson	PTS	10	3 June 1955	Manchester, United Kingdom
Win	49–10–4	Marcel Ranvial	KO	5	22 March 1955	Kensington, London, United Kingdom
Win	48–10–4	Percy Lewis	PTS	8	31 January 1955	Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Win	47–10–4	Aime Devisch	PTS	10	29 November 1954	Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Win	46–10–4	Harry Ramsden	PTS	8	27 October 1954	Blackpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom
Win	45–10–4	Luis Romero	PTS	10	3 September 1954	Manchester, United Kingdom
Loss	44–10–4	Jo Woussem	PTS	8	12 August 1954	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	44–9–4	Jacques Legendre	PTS	10	2 July 1954	Manchester, United Kingdom
Win	43–9–4	Enrico Macale	PTS	8	3 June 1954	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	42–9–4	Jean Sneyers	PTS	10	29 April 1954	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	41–9–4	Johnny Butterworth	PTS	10	4 March 1954	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Loss	40–9–4	Billy Kelly	PTS	8	8 December 1953	Harringay, London, United Kingdom
Win	40–8–4	Sammy McCarthy	PTS	10	6 October 1953	Kensington, London, United Kingdom
Loss	39–8–4	Juan Oscar Alvarez	PTS	10	7 September 1953	Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom
Win	39–7–4	Tommy Higgins	PTS	8	27 August 1953	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	38–7–4	Denny Dawson	KO	4	9 July 1953	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Loss	37–7–4	Emile Chemama	TKO	5	24 March 1953	Kensington, London, United Kingdom
Win	37–6–4	Luis Romero	TKO	8	27 February 1953	Manchester, United Kingdom
Loss	36–6–4	Johnny Haywood	DQ	3	30 January 1953	Blackpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom
Win	36–5–4	Ken Lawrence	TKO	5	20 January 1953	Kensington, London, United Kingdom
Win	35–5–4	Jackie Briers	PTS	10	8 January 1953	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	34–5–4	Bobby Boland	TKO	5	15 December 1952	Manchester, United Kingdom
Loss	33–5–4	Jean Pierre Cossemyns	PTS	10	8 December 1952	Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Win	33–4–4	Tommy Proffitt	TKO	7	14 November 1952	Manchester, United Kingdom
Win	32–4–4	Tommy Proffitt	PTS	8	27 October 1952	Manchester, United Kingdom
Win	31–4–4	Eddie Carson	PTS	8	9 October 1952	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	30–4–4	Eddie McCormick	PTS	8	22 September 1952	Manchester, United Kingdom
Win	29–4–4	Stan Skinless	TKO	7	11 September 1952	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	28–4–4	Tommy Higgins	PTS	8	28 August 1952	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	27–4–4	Jimmy Cardew	PTS	8	7 August 1952	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	26–4–4	Johnny Barclay	KO	6	28 July 1952	West Hartlepool, County Durham, United Kingdom
Win	25–4–4	Ivor Davies	KO	2	23 June 1952	West Hartlepool, County Durham, United Kingdom
Loss	24–4–4	Frankie Williams	PTS	8	15 May 1952	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Loss	24–3–4	John Kelly	PTS	8	26 April 1952	Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Win	24–2–4	Bobby Boland	KO	5	17 April 1952	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Draw	23–2–4	Glyn Evans	PTS	8	1 April 1952	Hanley, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
Win	23–2–3	Len Shaw	PTS	8	24 March 1952	Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom
Win	22–2–3	Tommy Higgins	PTS	8	5 March 1952	Blackpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom
Win	21–2–3	Peter Fay	PTS	8	19 February 1952	Hanley, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
Win	20–2–3	Ray Hillyard	TKO	4	31 January 1952	Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Win	19–2–3	Young Spider Neequaye	PTS	12	28 September 1951	Lagos, Nigeria	West African Bantamweight Title
Win	18–2–3	Steve Jeffra	PTS	12	29 August 1951	Lagos, Nigeria	Nigerian Bantamweight Title
Draw	17–2–3	Little Joe	PTS	10	Jul 08, 1951	Emmy Cinema Theatre, Aba
Win	17–2–2	Adjetey Sowah	PTS	10	30 May 1951	Lagos, Nigeria
Win	16–2–2	Jack Salami	PTS	8	16 May 1951	Lagos, Nigeria
Win	15–2–2	Kid Chukudi	TKO	3	4 May 1951	Lagos, Nigeria
Win	14–2–2	Dick Turpin	PTS	6	29 January 1951	Lagos, Nigeria
Win	13–2–2	Joe Bennett	TKO	10 (12)	Nov 10, 1950	Lagos, Nigeria	Nigerian Bantamweight Title
Win	12–2–2	Eddie Phillips	PTS	6	Oct 06, 1950	Lagos, Nigeria
Win	11–2–2	Steve Jeffra	PTS	12	7 July 1950	Lagos, Nigeria
Draw	10–2–2	Ogli Tettey	PTS	12	31 May 1950	Lagos, Nigeria	West African Flyweight Title
Loss	10–2–1	Bola Lawal	TKO	5 (6)	Mar 01, 1950	Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos
Win	10–1–1	Bob Emmanuel	TKO	4 (12)	Dec 26, 1949	Railway Stadium, Lagos	Nigerian Flyweight Title
Loss	9–1–1	Dick Turpin	DQ	5 (12)	Nov 28, 1949	Lagos, Nigeria	Nigerian Flyweight Title
Win	9–0–1	Texas Kid	PTS	10	26 October 1949	Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos	Nigerian Flyweight Title
Win	8–0–1	Dick Turpin	PTS	12	27 July 1949	Lagos, Nigeria	Nigerian Flyweight Title
Win	7–0–1	Jack Sala	TKO	4 (6))	27 Jul 1949	Royal Hotel, Lagos
Win	6–0–1	Ogli Tettey	PTS	12	28 Mar 1949	Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos
Win	5–0–1	Jack Sala	TKO	4 (6)	31 January 1949	African Tennis Club, Lagos
Win	4–0–1	Hurry Kid	KO	4 (6)	30 December 1948	Lagos
Win	3–0–1	Hurry Kid	PTS	6	29 November 1948	Lagos
Draw	2–0–1	Bolo Lawal	PTS	6	26 May 1948	Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos
Win	2–0	Jack Sala	PTS	6	6 February 1948	Lagos
Win	1–0	Jimmy Brown	PTS	6	28 November 1947	African Tennis Club, Lagos

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

• NYSAC featherweight champion (126 lbs)
• NBA (WBA) featherweight champion (126 lbs)

The Ring magazine titles

• The Ring featherweight champion (126 lbs)

Regional/International titles

• Nigerian flyweight champion (112 lbs)
• Nigerian bantamweight champion (118 lbs)
• West African bantamweight champion (118 lbs)
• Commonwealth featherweight champion (126 lbs)

Undisputed titles

• Undisputed featherweight champion

See also

• Lineal championship

External links

• Boxing record for Hogan Bassey from BoxRec (registration required)
• 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

1. "Hogan "Kid" Bassey – First Nigerian to become a world boxing champion". Records Nigeria. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
2. "Hogan "Kid" Bassey". The Cyber Boxing Zone. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
3. "Biography at boxrec.com". boxrec.com. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
4. "Obituary: Hogan Bassey". Independent (London). FindArticles.com. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
5. United Kingdom list: "No. 41268". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1957. p. 25.
6. "Hogan". NigerDeltaCongress.com. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
7. "Hogan "Kid" Bassey — Meet the First Nigerian To Become A World Boxing Champion". Talk Africana. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
8. "Hogan Kid Bassey – Boxer". BoxRec.com. Retrieved 5 August 2013.

Vacant Title last held by Sandy Saddler

World Featherweight Champion 24 June 1957 – 18 March 1959

Succeeded by Davey Moore