Alphonse Neys

Alphonse Neys, the winner of the Belgian amateur lightweight title in 1920, and was thus selected to represent his country in that weight class at the Olympic Games held in Antwerpen. There, he lost in his only match to eventual silver medallist Gotfred Johansen of Denmark. Neys turned professional in the year following the Olympics and competed mostly in Belgium and France, amassing a record of 12 wins (3 by KO), 7 losses (2 by KO) and 1 tie until his retirement from competition in 1924. An ironworker by profession, Neys was born in Leuven but grew up in Liège, the eldest of 12 children. One of his brothers, Jean-François Neys, was also active in amateur boxing in the early 1920s.