Bep van Klaveren’s Real Name and Boxing Biography
Bep van Klaveren was born Lambertus Steenhorst and later took the surname van Klaveren. His boxing nickname was “the Dutch Windmill.”
- Known as
- Bep van Klaveren
- Full or birth name
- Lambertus Steenhorst
- Category
- Boxers
Biography
Lambertus “Bep” van Klaveren was a Rotterdam boxer whose long career connected Olympic success with international professional boxing. Olympedia records that he was born under the surname Steenhorst and took the surname of Pieter van Klaveren after his mother’s marriage in 1916.
Born on September 26, 1907, he won the featherweight gold medal at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. He turned professional in 1929 and later held European titles at lightweight and middleweight. His professional career extended into the 1950s.
Van Klaveren appears in several Dutch newsreels, including bouts and training footage. The 1932 international-boxing catalog identifies his opponent as Victor Deckmijn; boxing records spell that name Victor Deckmyn. Other reels connect him with Cleto Locatelli, Assane Diouf and Luc van Dam.
A 1938 reel has a misleading title about his meeting with Christoforidis. Its catalog correction says Van Klaveren lost, rather than won.
Van Klaveren died in Rotterdam on February 12, 1992. Lambertus Steenhorst, Lambertus van Klaveren, Bep van Klaveren and the Dutch Windmill refer to different forms of the same boxer’s identity, not four separate people.
Names and nicknames
The Dutch Windmill.
Archival film connection
Multiple Polygoon boxing and training reels, 1931–1947; matchups must be labeled individually.
Frequently asked questions
What name is documented for Bep van Klaveren?
Bep van Klaveren was born Lambertus Steenhorst and later took the surname van Klaveren. His boxing nickname was “the Dutch Windmill.”
Which archival footage is associated with Bep van Klaveren?
Multiple Polygoon boxing and training reels, 1931–1947; matchups must be labeled individually.
Sources
Further reading: Olympedia · Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision catalog, via Commons: international boxing, 1932 · Wikipedia