Daniel Bekker

Daniel "Daan" Wepener Bekker (9 February 1932 – 22 October 2009) was a South African boxer, who won the bronze medal in the Heavyweight division (+ 91 kg) at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Four years later in Rome he captured the silver medal in the same category.^[1]

Daniel Bekker

Personal information
Born	(1932-02-09)9 February 1932 Dordrecht, Eastern Cape
Died	22 October 2009(2009-10-22) (aged 77) Pretoria
Medal record Men's Boxing Representing South Africa Olympic Games 1960 Rome Heavyweight 1956 Melbourne Heavyweight Commonwealth Games 1958 Cardiff Heavyweight

Amateur career

Bekker was the South African Heavyweight Champion from 1955–1959 and 1961.

Amateur results

• 1956 won the Heavyweight bronze medal at the Melbourne Olympics.
  • Defeated José Giorgetti (Argentina) KO-1
  • Lost to Pete Rademacher (USA) KO-3
• 1958 won the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales.
  • Defeated S. Renaud (Canada) TKO-1
  • Defeated Gbadegesin Salawu (Nigeria) TKO-2
  • Defeated David Thomas (England) PTS
• 1960 won the Heavyweight silver medal at the Rome Olympics.
  • Defeated Władysław Jędrzejewski (Poland) TKO-1
  • Defeated Obrad Sretenovic (Yugoslavia) KO-1
  • Defeated Günter Siegmund (United Team of Germany) PTS (4-1)
  • Lost to Franco De Piccoli (Italy) KO-2

Death

Bekker died on 18 October 2009 after a long struggle with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.^[2]