Algirdas Šocikas

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Algirdas Šocikas (left) wins the international match against England by knocking out British James
Algirdas Šocikas medal table

boxer

Soviet Union - Lithuania
European Championship
gold 1953 Warsaw Heavy
gold 1955 Berlin Heavy

Algirdas Šocikas (born May 14, 1928 in Žalias Ostempas , Kaišiadorys district ; † November 21, 2012 in Kaunas , Lithuania ) was a Soviet boxer of Lithuanian origin. He was the European amateur boxer champion in 1953 and 1955 in the heavyweight division.

Career

Algirdas Šocikas started boxing as a teenager in Kaišiadorys in 1945. At a young age he had the best physical conditions for a heavyweight. In 1947 he was the first Lithuanian heavyweight champion. He repeated this success in the years 1948, 1951 to 1953 and 1956. He was Baltic champion in 1948, 1950 and 1952. In the meantime he belonged to the renowned sports club Žalgiris Kaunas . He also began studying sports in Kaunas in those years and was the Soviet heavyweight student champion in 1948 and 1959.

In 1949, Algirdas Šocikas started for the first time in the Soviet heavyweight championship. He was only defeated in the final against the multiple Soviet champion Nikolai Fyodorowitsch Koroljow . In 1950 he won an internationally strong tournament in Warsaw and in the same year was the first Soviet heavyweight champion with a victory in the final battle over Anatoly Perov. In 1951 he repeated this success. He succeeded for the first time in his career in the final Nikolai Koroljow to beat on points.

In 1952 Algirdas Šocikas succeeded in the finals of the Soviet championship again a victory over Nikolai Koroljow. This victory was very important because it qualified him for participation in the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki . In Helsinki he started in the round of 16 with a knockout victory in the second round over the Pole Antoni Goscianski and was from then on as a favorite for the Olympic gold medal . But already in the next fight against the South African Andries Nieman came the rude awakening for him. He was caught hard by Nieman in the first round and was knocked out. Without winning a medal, he had to travel home.

It speaks for him that, despite this disappointment, he was not dropped by the Soviet boxing association. He was 1953 Soviet heavyweight champion again, where he won again in the final over Nikolai Koroljow. He then started at the European Championships in Warsaw and won the heavyweight title there with victories over Pingel, GDR, Tomislav Krizmanic , Yugoslavia and Bogdan Węgrzyniak from Poland .

In 1954 Algirdas Šocikas was again Soviet heavyweight champion with a victory over Rikardas Juschkenas. There were no international championships this year. In 1955 the European Championships were held again in West Berlin . Algirdas Šocikas represented the USSR again in the heavyweight division. In Berlin he won over Dumitru Ciobotaru from Romania , Giacomo Bozzano , Italy and Horimir Netuka from Czechoslovakia . In the final he faced the German champion Horst Witterstein from Kempten (Allgäu) . In a superior battle, Schozikas won safely on points and became European champion for the second time .

At the Soviet championship that took place after the European Championship, Algirdas Šocikas of Rikardas Juschkenas suffered a surprising knockout defeat in the semifinals and therefore only came in 3rd place.

In 1956 he was again Soviet heavyweight champion with a victory over the young Lev Muchin . Surprisingly, it was Muchin and not he who was nominated for the Olympic Games in Melbourne.

Algirdas Šocikas then ended his international career. He completed his sports studies and then worked for many years as a trainer at "Zalgiris" Kaunas and the Soviet Boxing Association. He looked after such well-known and successful boxers as Richardas Tamulis , Juozas Juocevičius and Jonas Čepulis . He has received many awards and was "Honored Master of Sports of the USSR" and " Honored Coach of the USSR ". In 1995 he received a high fairness award in Stuttgart .

International battles of Algirdas Šocikas

  • 1952 in Moscow , USSR against Poland , techn. KO winner 2nd round over Gustav Jadrzyk,
  • 1955 in Helsinki , Finland against USSR, techn. KO winner 2nd round over Ilkka Koski ,
  • 1956 in Moscow, USSR against England , techn. KO winner 2nd round over Dave Rent

USSR championships with Algirdas Šocikas

  • 1949: 1. Nikolai Fjodorowitsch Koroljow , 2. Algirdas Šocikas, 3. Anatoli Perow;
  • 1950: 1. Algirdas Šocikas, 2. Anatoli Perow, 3. Martin Linnamägi;
  • 1951: 1. Algirdas Šocikas, 2. Nikolai Koroljow, 3. W. Katajew;
  • 1952: 1. Algirdas Šocikas, 2. Nikolai Koroljow, 3. W. Katajew;
  • 1953: 1. Algirdas Šocikas, 2. Nikolai Koroljow, 3. Lembit Maurer;
  • 1954: 1. Algirdas Šocikas, 2. Rikardas Juschkenas, 3. G. Romanow;
  • 1955: 1. Rikardas Juschkenas, 2. Lew Muchin , 3. Algirdas Šocikas u. A. Liepins;
  • 1956: 1. Algirdas Šocikas, 2. Lew Muchin, 3. Lembit Maurer

Honors

swell

  • Box-Sport magazine from 1950 to 1956,
  • BOX-ALMANACH 1920–1980 , publisher of the German Amateur Boxing Association, 1980,
  • Website "www.amateur-boxing.strefa.pl",
  • Website "www.kaisiadoriumuziejus.lt"

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Šocikas, Algirdas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Shozikas, Algirdas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION soviet boxer
DATE OF BIRTH May 14, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Žalias Ostempas , Kaišiadorys district
DATE OF DEATH November 21, 2012
Place of death Kaunas , Lithuania