Joseph Bessala
Encyclopedia
Joseph Bessala was a welterweight
boxer
from Cameroon
.
in Brazzaville
, Republic of the Congo
. He twice won the African Championships in welterweight: in 1966 in Lagos
, Nigeria
, (prevailing over Ghana
ian, Eddie Blay
in the final) and 1968 in Lusaka
, Zambia
, where he prevailed in the final fight over the Zambian, Julius Luipa, whom he beat again at the Olympic Games
. He won the silver medal at the 1968 Olympic Games
in Mexico City
. In the final, he was lost to East Germany's
Manfred Wolke
.
's Jean-Pierre Heirmann with a technical knockout. Six victories, one draw, and yet another five victories followed. In November 1974, the last victory over Eddie Blay
from Ghana
, who had won the bronze medal in the class of super lightweight in 1964, gained Bessala the African title in the welterweight class. The title was taken from him by Salem Ouedraogo from the Côte d'Ivoire
in January 1976. After a longer break, Bessala gained back the African title from his fellow countryman, Bechir Boundka in June, 1978. He aimed to defend this title again in his 16th fight, but Mimoun Mohatar from Morocco
knocked him out in the 12th round in December, 1978. Bessala took the consequences and retired from boxing.
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
from Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
.
Amateur
In 1965, Bessala won the All-Africa Games1965 All-Africa Games
The first All-Africa Games were played from July 18, 1965 to July 25, 1965 in Brazzaville, Congo.The first games to open to the entire African continent occurred a full forty years after they were first intended. Pierre de Coubertin, had proposed the first African Games be held in Algiers, Algeria...
in Brazzaville
Brazzaville
-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...
, Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
. He twice won the African Championships in welterweight: in 1966 in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, (prevailing over Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian, Eddie Blay
Eddie Blay
Edward "Eddie" Blay was a Ghanaian boxer, who won the bronze medal in the men's Light Welterweight category at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.-References:...
in the final) and 1968 in Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, where he prevailed in the final fight over the Zambian, Julius Luipa, whom he beat again at the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. He won the silver medal at the 1968 Olympic Games
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. In the final, he was lost to East Germany's
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
Manfred Wolke
Manfred Wolke
Manfred Wolke is a former welterweight boxer. He was a member of the Armeesportsklub Vorwärts Frankfurt an der Oder....
.
Amateur highlights
- 1965 won the All-Africa Games in Brazzaville, Congo. Beat in the final Isaac Dabore (Nigeria) by TKO-2.
- 1966 won the African Championships in Lagos, Nigeria. Beat Eddie BlayEddie BlayEdward "Eddie" Blay was a Ghanaian boxer, who won the bronze medal in the men's Light Welterweight category at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.-References:...
(Ghana) in the final. - 1968 won the African Championships in Lusaka, Zambia. Beat Julius Luipa (Zambia) in the final.
Olympic results
- 1968 won the silver medal as a Welterweight at the Olympics in Mexico City. Results were:
- Defeated Luis GonzalesLuis GonzalesLuis Javier Gonzales Posada Eyzaguirre is a Peruvian politician. He is currently a Congressman representing Ica for the period 2006-2011, and belongs to the Peruvian Aprista Party.-References:...
(Chile) - Defeated Julius Luipa (Zambia) KO-2
- Defeated Victor ZilbermanVictor ZilbermanVictor Zilberman is a retired boxer from Romania.He represented his native country at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada...
(Romania) TKO-3 - Defeated Mario GuillotiMario GuillotiMario Guilloti González is a retired Argentine boxer, who won the bronze medal in the men's welterweight category at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. A year earlier he claimed the silver medal at the 1967 Pan American Games...
(Argentina) PTS (5-0) - Lost to Manfred WolkeManfred WolkeManfred Wolke is a former welterweight boxer. He was a member of the Armeesportsklub Vorwärts Frankfurt an der Oder....
(East Germany) PTS (1-4)
- Defeated Luis Gonzales
Professional
In October, Bessala started his professional career with a victory in the first round, where he defeated the BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
's Jean-Pierre Heirmann with a technical knockout. Six victories, one draw, and yet another five victories followed. In November 1974, the last victory over Eddie Blay
Eddie Blay
Edward "Eddie" Blay was a Ghanaian boxer, who won the bronze medal in the men's Light Welterweight category at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.-References:...
from Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, who had won the bronze medal in the class of super lightweight in 1964, gained Bessala the African title in the welterweight class. The title was taken from him by Salem Ouedraogo from the Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
in January 1976. After a longer break, Bessala gained back the African title from his fellow countryman, Bechir Boundka in June, 1978. He aimed to defend this title again in his 16th fight, but Mimoun Mohatar from Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
knocked him out in the 12th round in December, 1978. Bessala took the consequences and retired from boxing.