German Boxing Legend Manfred Wolke dies Aged 81

Manfred Wolke, the legendary German boxing trainer, has died aged 81, according to reports from German publication Bild.

Wolke has been battling an incurable form of dementia for several years, per The Sun.

Die Stimme Berlins reported that Wolke lost his battle with dementia sometime late last month, with the news slowly being made public.

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Wolke’s condition worsened, meaning he spent the last few months of his like in a Frankfurt care home, per The Sun.

At some point during his medical care, Wolke’s wife, Brigitte, started to restrict visitor access as Wolke worsened. It has been reported by Die Stimme Berlins that Henry Maske, Wolke’s protégé, was allowed to visit the former trainer on his 80th birthday.

Maske told Bild, “The death of my trainer hit me very hard, of course. On January 24, I was able to visit Manfred Wolke again. He was in very good physical shape at the time. Only this dementia... Now he is gone and also relieved.”

Fellow German boxing coach Ulli Wegner said of Molke in a statement that he, “brought German professional boxing back to the top… That is his achievement.”

Before becoming a trainer, Wolke boxed himself, winning a gold medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in the 147lb (67kg) category.

Wolke trained a litany of German boxing legends, but perhaps his greatest single achievement was coaching Henry Maske to the IBF light-heavyweight world title belt in 1993. A belt that Maske would successfully defend 10 times, per Bild.

Wolke is one of German boxing’s most legendary figures, with Bild describing him as, “the father of the boxing boom in Germany in the 1990s.”

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