Kristian Hoydahl vs. Joseph Sossou

Kristian Hoydahl beat Joseph Sossou by DQ in round 4 of 8

• Date: 1973-03-08
• Location: K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark
• Referee: John Christensen

Only one week after a hard fight against Italian Edoardo Diana, Norwegian light welter Kristian Hoydahl travelled to Copenhagen and faced the Dahomey-born Frenchman Joseph Sossou (14-4-0). In the 4th referee John Christensen disqualified Sossou for holding, after three warnings.

This fight aroused a controversy concerning reporting sports journalism in Norway. The reports from different Norwegian sources showed such differences that it was embarrassing. The non-sensationalist Aftenposten and Norwegian Telegram Bureau wrote that Hoydahl was often shaken in the 3 first rounds, and that the DQ was a generous gift from the referee as Hoydahl himself held and spoiled the fight. The tabloid VG (Verdens Gang) wrote that Hoydahl outpunched Sossou in the 3rd and left the ring to tremendous applaus after the DQ. The liberal paper Dagbladet used this case in its long campaign against boxing, amateur and pro. (It was not until the 1980's when Dagbladet became a tabloid, that the paper started to cover boxing as any other sport).