Robert Cohen obit

Robert Cohen, a boxing legend, 

has passed away.

 

He was not on the list.

The former world bantamweight champion (36 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses) (1954-1956) died on Wednesday, March 2nd, in Brussels, at the age of ninety-one. He remains one of the greatest French boxers in history, having won everything in his professional career.

Robert Cohen was born on November 15, 1930, in Bône, Algeria. He discovered boxing while watching an amateur match between an Algerian selection and a team from Lyon. This sparked his passion. His father tried to dissuade him, but in vain. He began boxing at Jeunesse Bônoise Athletic in 1948 and, less than two months later, won the Constantine championship and then the Algerian championship before losing in the semi-finals of the North African championship to Jo Ventaja, a future Olympic athlete and European amateur champion. This defeat, which he felt was undeserved, led him to want to… hang up his gloves. His older brother, Léon, and his boss managed to change his mind. They were right to do so, since in April 1951, Robert Cohen reached the final of the French amateur championships, at the end of which he was dominated by Joseph Perez for having been too cautious.

Managed by Gaston Charles-Raymond

A defeat that felt like a victory, because in the stands, the manager and former pre-war boxer, Gaston Charles-Raymond, was captivated by the loser's fighting spirit and offered him a professional contract. So, in June of the same year, young Robert arrived in the capital with Léon. From then on, successes followed one after another: a prestigious victory against the flamboyant and aging Théo Medina on October 20, 1952, then the national title against former European champion Maurice Sandeyron on November 6, 1953, and, in quick succession, the continental title by defeating Irishman John Kelley by knockout (3rd round) on February 27, 1954, in Belfast.

The opportunity to conquer the world arose after Australian Jim Carruthers relinquished his title. His two closest rivals in the rankings, Robert Cohen and Thai Chamrern Songkitrat, faced off in Bangkok to succeed him. Before the eyes of the royal couple and 70,000 spectators, at the end of a hard-fought duel, the native of Annaba, who had started and finished the fight stronger, rightfully won the judges' favor.

This victory marked both the pinnacle and the beginning of the end of his career. Still recovering from injuries including a broken jaw sustained in a serious car accident, he defended his title against South African Willie Toweel on September 3, 1955, in Johannesburg, before 30,000 white spectators, a consequence of Apartheid. The Frenchman started strong and knocked his challenger down several times. However, Toweel was aided by the referee, who allowed him to recover and did not penalize his various fouls. The champion became agitated and lost his composure. Nevertheless, two judges awarded him a draw, while the third declared Willie Toweel the winner. The only consolation for the Frenchman was finding love with Zita Hasson, whom he met during an exhibition match on a Durban beach.

Coach of the Zaire national team

Having difficulty making weight, Robert Cohen tried his luck in the featherweight division and, on December 10, 1955, challenged the promising Cherif Hamia, who displayed his superior power. The world champion was stopped in the tenth round after suffering a cut above his left eyebrow. This injury had serious consequences, as it resurfaced on June 29, 1956, in Rome, while the world champion was defending his title against the deaf-mute Italian, Mario d'Agata. At the start of the seventh round, the referee stopped the fight, judging the wound too deep. Never able to make the difference, having lost the qualities that had allowed him to reach the top, Robert Cohen retired from boxing.

He settled in Lubumbashi, the capital of the former Belgian Congo, where his father-in-law, an industrialist, worked. He shared his experience with young people at the gym he had opened and named Eurafricaine. In the early 1960s, he became the coach of the Zaire national team and later, at the beginning of his career, of the future WBA middleweight world champion, Sumbu Kalembay. He spent the rest of his life in Belgium.