Heinz Lazek

Heinz Lazek
Data
Birth Name	Heinrich Lazek
Weight class	Light heavyweight , heavyweight
nationality	Austrian
birthday	October 17, 1911
place of birth	Vienna
Date of death	July 26, 1986
Place of death	Vienna
style	Left-hand boom
Combat Statistics
Struggles	64
Victories	48
Knockout victories	21st
Defeats	8th
draw	8th

Heinrich "Heinz" Lazek (born October 17, 1911 in Vienna ; † July 26, 1986 there ) was an Austrian boxer and European light heavyweight and heavyweight champion.

Boxing career

The left wing was the Austrian light heavyweight champion in 1931 with the amateurs and then moved to the professional camp. In his first 26 fights, he emerged as a winner 25 times, including against the Swedish European champion John Andersson and the Olympic silver medalist Luigi Rovati from Italy and also won the Austrian heavyweight championship. He suffered his only defeat to date against the three-time EM and World Cup challenger Adolf Witt from Germany.

On September 17, 1935, he won the EBU's European Light Heavyweight Championship in Vienna against the Italian Preciso Merlo, who had defeated Adolf Witt in his last fight. In his first title defense he defeated the Dutchman Rienus De Boer, who gave up the fight after the fifth round. After another title defense by technical knockout against the French champion Emile Ollive, he boxed on September 1, 1936 in Vienna for the world championship against the German Gustave Roth , but was subject to this over 15 rounds on points.

In his next nine fights he remained unbeaten again and qualified for another EBU EM fight, this time in the heavyweight division. He was able to prevail against Arno Kölblin from Germany, but lost in a subsequent non-title fight on points against Walter Neusel . However, he defeated this in a subsequent European title defense. He was also able to defend his belt against Sante De Leo and Karel Sys .

On March 17, 1939 he lost for the first time prematurely by knockout and thus also the European title to the German Adolf Heuser . In November he also suffered a point defeat against Arno Kölblin .

On November 3, 1940, he also won the title of German heavyweight champion after he was again able to defeat Walter Neusel . He then beat Preciso Merlo and Walter Neusel again, and he was also able to achieve a draw against Adolf Heuser . In a third meeting, he lost again by knockout against Heuser and ended his career after two further defeats against Olle Tandberg and Josef Weidinger in September 1950.

additional

Lazek was in a relationship with a Jewish woman and had a child with her. However, through an interview with boxer Max Schmeling , he was spared a prison sentence for " racial disgrace " and instead he was drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1942, where he served until the end of the war.

His daughter Dorli was elected Miss Austria in 1961 .

In 1995 the Heinz-Lazek-Weg in Vienna-Donaustadt was named after him.

His grave is at the Dornbacher Friedhof in Hernals .

Web links

• Profile at BoxRec
• Schmeling obituary: boxer, legend, philanthropist at Spiegel-Online
• Austrian national champion from 1930 to 2010 , Austrian boxing association
• Close-up of Miss Austria Dorli Lazek with her father Heinz Lazek , National Library