Branko Sobot

Branko Sobot, known as “Pit Bull”, was a Croatian southpaw who competed at middleweight and super-middleweight. Born in Zagreb on 12 January 1972, he stood a little under 5ft 10in and had a reach of approximately 71 inches. His professional career ran from January 1995 until December 2004 and produced a record of 19 victories and 11 defeats, with 10 wins inside the distance. He won international titles at both middleweight and super-middleweight and challenged Joe Calzaghe for the WBO super-middleweight championship.

Sobot was raised by his mother and grew up without his father. He took up taekwondo at 14 and later participated in full-contact competition before concentrating on boxing. His development was interrupted by the war in Croatia. After leaving the Yugoslav People’s Army in August 1991, he joined the Croatian Second Guards Brigade and spent about ten months on active service. He later said that boxing helped him cope with the effects of his wartime experiences, including a pronounced stammer. Complete records of his amateur career have not survived, although he was reported to have boxed around 20 times without defeat. The firmest achievement from that period was his Croatian championship victory in 1994, when he defeated the future European professional champion Stjepan Božić on a split decision.

He entered the paid ranks on 7 January 1995 in Neuwied, Germany, knocking out Savo Jankovic. Most of his early career was conducted in Germany, where he worked with promoters Ebby Thust and later Klaus-Peter Kohl. He stopped the inexperienced Jan Heinemann in Frankfurt the following month and quickly established himself as a forceful, determined prospect. The origin of his nickname came during a contest with Milan Masny in September 1995. Šobot was knocked down three times in the opening round but recovered to stop Masny in the third. His refusal to yield impressed the crowd and “Pit Bull” remained attached to him for the rest of his career.

On 1 March 1996, Šobot defeated Orhan Ajvazoski in Frankfurt to win the vacant BDB German International middleweight title. He retained that championship against opponents including Horace Fleary, Ajvazoski in a return bout and Stefan Magyar. These were useful contests rather than major European assignments, but they gave him regular work and helped move him towards the continental rankings. His most important victory at middleweight came against the experienced Salvador Yanez in October 1996. Sobot stopped the more seasoned man in the tenth round to take the IBF Inter-Continental title, a regional championship which strengthened his claim to a European opportunity but did not carry world championship recognition.

That opportunity arrived against France’s Hacine Cherifi at the Maritim Hotel in Stuttgart on 25 January 1997. The vacant European Boxing Union middleweight title was at stake, and Sobot entered unbeaten after 11 professional victories. Cherifi, already an experienced contender and later to become WBC middleweight champion, defeated him on points over 12 rounds. It was Šobot’s first professional loss and showed the difference between solid international form and championship level. He responded with victories over Bagrat Makhkamov, Anthony Ivory and Bahre Ahmeti, rebuilding sufficiently to receive a world title offer at super-middleweight.

The offer came at short notice. Tarick Salmaci withdrew from a scheduled challenge to WBO champion Joe Calzaghe, leaving Sobot to prepare in about three and a half weeks. The contest took place at Cardiff International Arena on 24 January 1998 and was Calzaghe’s first defence of the championship he had won from Chris Eubank. Sobot weighed 166½ pounds, with Calzaghe at 167¾. The Croatian was the first boxer representing independent Croatia to challenge for a recognised professional world championship, several months before Zeljko Mavrović met Lennox Lewis for the WBC heavyweight title.

Sobot attempted to press the champion, but Calzaghe’s speed, southpaw angles and much faster combinations left him struggling to establish his own attack. The challenger remained willing to come forward, although his advance became increasingly direct and Calzaghe was able to meet him with punches from either hand. In the third round Sobot was knocked down by a rapid combination. He rose before the count was completed, but Calzaghe immediately resumed his attack and referee Paul Thomas intervened after 1 minute 35 seconds. The defeat was decisive, though Sobot had accepted the assignment with limited preparation against an unbeaten champion who would remain unbeaten for the rest of his career.

He returned with victories over Terry Ford and veteran Rob Bleakley, but his results became less consistent. Mario Veit outpointed him over ten rounds in Munich in November 1998 for the vacant BDB German International super-middleweight title. In July 1999, Sobot enjoyed one of his better later successes when he stopped Francis Fofoh in the sixth round at Pula to win the IBF Inter-Continental super-middleweight championship. Defeats by Norbert Nieroba and the unbeaten Danilo Haussler followed, while a six-round points victory over Ajvazoski in September 2001 was his only contest during a lengthy period of inactivity.

Sobot returned in 2004 but was placed against a succession of younger and largely unbeaten opponents. Arthur Abraham stopped him in two rounds in Magdeburg, and Mger Mkrtchyan also halted him in the second. He then lost decisions to Roman Aramyan and Konni Konrad, being knocked down in the seventh round against Konrad. A second-round knockout of Admir Kurtic provided his final victory, before an eight-round points loss to Lansana Diallo. His last appearance came against the unbeaten Denis Inkin in Moscow on 16 December 2004. Sobot was floored three times in the opening round and retired from the contest during the second.

The Inkin fight also ended his career for medical reasons. Sobot later explained that a finger entered his right eye during the contest, causing a detached retina. Several operations followed, but damage to the optic nerve left him with only limited sight in that eye and continuing problems with balance. He was 32 when he stopped boxing. His aggressive reputation rested upon physical resolve, a willingness to press forward and respectable power rather than refined defence. He could recover from punishment and make difficult fights uncomfortable, but the directness of his approach left him exposed against fast, accurate boxers. His 10 stoppage victories demonstrated useful strength, while his defeats against Cherifi, Calzaghe, Veit, Abraham and Inkin placed his level clearly below the leading European and world-class men of his period.

After boxing, Sobot settled for a time in Germany and undertook training for work in the security industry. He married his wife, Nives, in 2013, and later spoke of plans to establish a security business and eventually return to Zagreb. His health difficulties continued, including two spinal operations in addition to the permanent damage to his right eye. He also considered opening a recreational boxing club, although he did not intend to return to competitive boxing. His career is chiefly remembered in Croatia for the world title challenge against Calzaghe and for his distinction as the country’s first professional world championship challenger after independence.