Henry Loubscher

Henry Loubscher (born August 8, 1936 in Germiston , South Africa ) is a retired South African boxer . He was the winner of the bronze light welterweight medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne .

Career

Henry Loubscher began boxing as a teenager and in 1955 he became the first South African champion among lightweight amateur boxers (at that time up to 60 kg body weight). He repeated this title win in 1956.

In 1956 he then represented his country at the Olympic Games in Melbourne . He performed well there in his first appearance at an international championship and won the light welterweight division (at that time up to 63.5 kg body weight) in the round of 16 over Leslie Mason from Canada on points and also beat US champion Joseph Shaw on points in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals he met the European champion and high favorite Vladimir Jengibarjan from the USSR . He lost this fight, in which he had to "8" to the ground in the second round, on points. By reaching the semi-finals, however, he had already won a bronze medal .

In 1957 "Hennie", as he was called in the circle of friends, won the South African light welterweight championship and in 1958 the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff , Wales , also won the light welterweight division. He won over Raymond Galante from Canada by KO in the 2nd round and over Robert Kane from Scotland on points.

In 1959 Henry Loubscher was South African welterweight champion (then up to 67 kg body weight). He won this title in 1961 and 1964. In 1960 he also started at the Olympic Games in Rome . In the welterweight division he showed good fights as he did four years ago. He beat the Hungarian Söbök and the Australian Desmond Duguid on points, but then lost in the quarter-finals to the two-time European champion Leszek Drogosz from Poland on points, narrowly missing a medal and finishing in 5th place with three other boxers.

Incidentally, this start of a South African athlete at the 1960 Olympic Games was the last one for many years because the South African athletes were banned from participating in the Olympic Games from 1964 to 1988 due to the apartheid policy of their government.

Henry Loubscher became a businessman after his boxing career. He never became a professional boxer. In 2006 he celebrated his 70th birthday in good health in his home town of Northworld, Johannesburg .

swell

• Box Sport trade journal from 1956 to 1960
• Website sports123.com