Legendary Boxer Marijan Beneš Passes Away

BANJA LUKA, (Patria) - Celebrated boxer Marijan Beneš passed away at the age of 67 in Banja Luka after a long and serious illness.

Marijan Beneš was a pop icon of the former Yugoslavia; in the ring he proved how much he could achieve, and when he took off his gloves, he played the violin and flute, wrote poetry, and showed the world that people from the ring are not just boxers like any others.

Marijan Beneš was born in Belgrade on June 11, 1951. His parents Josip and Marija were teachers. Under the influence of his father, a music teacher, Marijan learned to play the piano and violin, giving the future boxer a somewhat unusual education. Marijan had three brothers and a sister.

Marijan spent his childhood in Tuzla at the boxing club Sloboda from Tuzla. His life path took a boxing direction, then unexpected for him, when as a ten-year-old he entered the ring and defeated an opponent who was eighteen years old. At sixteen, Marijan signed for Slavija, a boxing club from Banja Luka, where he remained throughout his entire amateur career.

During his amateur career, Beneš won nine titles of champion of Bosnia and Herzegovina, four titles of champion of Yugoslavia, and a large number of exhibition titles.

At the European Amateur Boxing Championships held in 1973 in Belgrade, he won the title of European champion in the light-welterweight category. That year he was named Sportsman of the Year in the selection of the daily sports newspaper "Sport". Shortly after this success, Beneš fell ill with hepatitis; however, for him, this did not mean the end of his boxing career. Extremely stubborn and devoted to boxing, he decided to continue his boxing career. He participated in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal but was eliminated after the second round of competition.

A serious eye injury succeeded where jaundice could not, ending Beneš's boxing career. It is not known exactly from which match this injury originated; according to some, it was in 1983 in a match against Luis Minchillo, while according to others, Beneš had been carrying this injury since 1979, from a fight against Sandi Torres in Zenica. During his career, Beneš suffered countless injuries, some of which are known to be twenty-six broken bones in various places. Injuries to his vocal cords caused his speech to become quiet and slow.

Beneš had a total of 39 professional matches, of which he won 32 (21 by knockout) and lost six (three by knockout), and one match ended in a draw. He boxed a total of 233 professional rounds.

Beneš retired from boxing in 1983 and boxed two more exhibition matches during the 1990s.

Despite a healthy diet and regular physical activity, a long boxing career in his later years took a toll on his health.

During the time of war madness and the disintegration of the state, Beneš was not welcome anywhere. Neither in Bosnia nor in Croatia, and after the end of the war, Beneš returned to Banja Luka, where he mostly spent his free time at the famous Banja Luka ćevabdžinica Kod Muje.