Jonas Čepulis

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Jonas Čepulis (born August 11, 1939 in Zvanagalos , Lithuania , † May 28, 2015 in Kaunas ) was a Soviet boxer of Lithuanian origin. At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City , he won the silver medal in the heavyweight division.

Career

Jonas Čepulis grew up in his home town of Zvanagalos. In 1948 he and his family were deported to Siberia by the Soviet security forces . The family was only allowed to return to Lithuania in 1957. Jonas Čepulis went to Kaunas and started boxing there. After his great talent was recognized, he was delegated to the Lithuanian top club "Zalgiris" Kaunas and trained there by Vaclav Peleckis. In 1967 he graduated from the Kaunas Polytechnic .

Jonas Čepulis was a full-grown heavyweight weighing around 95 kg. In 1963 he was the first Lithuanian heavyweight champion. He also won this title in 1964, 1966, 1967, 1969 and 1970. In 1965 he succeeded in winning a major national boxing tournament in Kaunas, defeating Jānis Lancers , who was one of the first guards of the Soviet heavyweights , in the final. In the same year he also started for the first time in the Soviet championship and fought his way to the final there, in which he lost to Alexander Isossimov on points.

In 1966 Jonas Čepulis took 3rd place in the Soviet heavyweight championship after losing again to Alexander Isosimov in the semifinals. In 1967 he won the national elimination tournament for the Soviet championship in Voskresensk . In the Soviet championship itself he could not participate due to injury.

In 1968 Jonas Čepulis again reached the final of the Soviet championship, in which he was defeated by the young Alexander Vasyushkin . Shortly afterwards he won the "Istvan Dobo" tournament in Eger / Hungary in the final of the heavyweight division over Karl Koglbauer from Austria by knocking out in the first round. He was then nominated by the Soviet Boxing Association for the Olympic Games in Mexico City. He showed his enormous punch at the Olympic tournament and defeated Billy Wells from Great Britain with a technical knockout in the 3rd round, Bernd Anders from the GDR with a knockout in the 3rd round and Joaquin Rocha from Mexico with a technical knockout in the 3rd round. He was in the final and met the American champion George Foreman . George Foreman won this duel of two hard hitting fighters because he was physically even stronger than Jonas Čepulis, due to a technical knockout in the 2nd round. Nevertheless, winning the silver medal was a great success for Jonas Čepulis.

In 1969 Jonas Čepulis started again in the Soviet championship, but lost in the round of 16 against Gennadi Schimansky from Moldova and retired early. After this defeat he was no longer used in international championships. After the end of his active career, Jonas Čepulis became coach at "Zalgiris" Kaunas.

International success

  • 1968, 1st place , Istvan Dobo Torunament in Eger / Hungary , S, with a KOS id 1st round in the final over Karl Köglbauer, Austria ;

USSR championships with Jonas Čepulis

(Heavyweight)

  • 1965, 1. Alexander Isossimow , 2. Jonas Čepulis, 3. W. Tschuganow a. Vadim Emelyanov ,
  • 1966, 1. Alexander Isossimow, 2. Nikolai Sucharjew, 3. Jonas Čepulis a. Alexander Vasyushkin,
  • 1968, 1. Alexander Wassjuschkin, 2. Jonas Čepulis, 3. Kamo Sarojan a. L. Krjuk,
  • 1969, 1. Alexander Wassjuschkin, 2. Valeri Somow, 3. Alexander Isossimow a. A. Turkin, ... 9. Jonas Čepulis

swell

  • Box Sport trade journal from 1965 to 1969,
  • Boxing Almanac 1920 - 1980 , published by the German Amateur Boxing Association, 1980,
  • Website "www.amateur-boxing.strefa.pl",
  • Website of "Zalgiris" Kaunas

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Из жизни ушла легенда литовского бокса
personal data
SURNAME Čepulis, Jonas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cepulis, Jonas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION soviet boxer
DATE OF BIRTH August 11, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH Zvanagalos , Lithuania
DATE OF DEATH May 28, 2015
Place of death Kaunas