Bep van Klaveren

Lambertus "Bep" van Klaveren (September 26, 1907 – February 12, 1992) was a Dutch boxer, who won the golden medal in the featherweight division at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Born in Rotterdam as Lambertus Steenhorst, he adopted the name of his stepfather Pieter van Klaveren when he was eight. His nickname was "The Dutch Windmill".

Olympic results

*1st round bye
*Defeated Juan Muñoz (Spain) PTS
*Defeated Frederick Perry (Great Britain) PTS
*Defeated Harry Devine (United States) PTS
*Defeated Victor Peralta (Argentina) PTS

Pro career

In 1931 he became European champion in the lightweight division and in 1938 he won the same title in the middleweight division. Van Klaveren contested his last match at age 48, on March 19, 1956. His younger brother Piet competed as a boxer for The Netherlands at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

Honors

In 1992, a memorial statue was dedicated for van Klaveren in Rotterdam, which was designed by Dutch sculptor Willem Verbon.

Trivia

To this day, van Klaveren remains the only Dutchman to have ever won an Olympic Gold Medal in boxing.

References

* [http://www.boksnieuws.com/Boksnieuws_NederlandseBokssport.htm Dutch Boxing News]