Manfred Homberg

Manfred Homberg (born July 15, 1933 ; † August 12, 2010 in Düsseldorf ) was a German boxer . He was European champion of the amateurs in the years 1957 and 1959 in flyweight (up to 51 kg body weight).

Career

Manfred Homberg started boxing as a teenager in Hamborn . He was a typical right outsider, that is, his hitting hand was the left hand. His first major successes came with the senior citizens. In 1952 he was one of the best flyweight boxers in the Niederrhein boxing district . In December 1952 he was used for the first time in the German amateur national team, which boxed in Berlin against the USA , whose team consisted of the winners at the tournament for the "Golden Gloves". He defeated the American Wright by knockout in the 3rd round. The US team also included Ed Sanders , who in the same year became Olympic heavyweight champion with a spectacular victory over Ingemar Johansson from Sweden .

In 1953 Manfred Homberg reached the final of the German flyweight championship after defeating Heinz Friedrichs from Lübeck against Manfred Warme from Stuttgart . Manfred Warme won this fight on points and Manfred Homberg became German runner-up.

In 1954 Manfred Homberg was absent from the German championship due to injury. He was used in two international matches that year and defeated the Englishman Johnson on points and the Danes White by techn. KO in the 2nd round.

In the final of the German championship in 1955, Edgar Basel played against Manfred Homberg. The Olympic runner-up in 1952, Edgar Basel, had become European flyweight champion a few months earlier in Berlin and was at the height of his career. Manfred Homberg delivered a courageous fight to Edgar Basel and only just lost on points.

Manfred Homberg, who in the meantime belonged to the BR Düsseldorf , defeated the French champion René Libeer on points in a comparative battle of his club relay against the French Olympic selection for the Games in Melbourne in the spring of 1956 . At the German championship this year, he was surprisingly eliminated from Edmund Wächter from Hildesheim in a preliminary round match. He was nevertheless used by the DABV in the all-German Olympic qualification and there defeated Harry Schwer from East Berlin clearly on points. In the decisive battle for the ticket to Melbourne, Edgar Basel could not compete against Manfred Homberg because of an injury. This fight was therefore rescheduled four weeks later and Edgar Basel won it on points.

In 1957 Manfred Homberg won the elimination for the European Championship in Prague by winning points over Heinz Friedrichs. In Prague he surprised on the pleasant side. He won there in the round of 16 over the Irishman Johnny Caldwell by points (3: 2 judges' votes), defeated the Yugoslav Paljic on points in the quarterfinals and also scored points in the semifinals over Peter Davies from Wales . In the final, he met the Romanian Mircea Dobrescu , a boxer who was extremely powerful for a flyweight and a silver medalist at the 1956 Olympic Games, but he repeatedly boxed him out with his speed and good technique and therefore became European champion with a deserved point victory . For this, the Federal President awarded him the Silver Laurel Leaf on June 1, 1959.

At the German championship taking place after the European championship, Manfred Homberg then failed again because of his feared opponent Edmund Wächter. He was subject to this in the semifinals on points. In international matches, Manfred Homberg defeated, among others, the Poland Henryk Kukier , 1953 European champion and the Soviet athlete Wiktor Bystrow and thus proved that his title win at the European championship was no coincidence.

In 1958 Manfred Homberg was the first German flyweight champion. He defeated Edmund Wächter on points in the semifinals and landed a clear win over Leo Krucik from Oeynhausen in the final . In the same year he defeated the Soviet champion Vladimir Stolnikov on points in an international match between the USSR and FRG in Moscow .

In 1959 Manfred Homberg won the title at the German championship for the second time. In the final he won again over Leo Krucik on points. At the European Championships in Lucerne , he then also triumphed for the second time. He defeated the Hungarian Gyula Török on points in the final battle and thus won ahead of Török, Adam McClean, Scotland and Wladimir Stolnikow.

In the elimination for the all-German Olympic team for the 1960 Games in Rome , Manfred Homberg prevailed against Kurt Millek from ASK “Vorwärts” Berlin and represented Germany at these Olympic Games. He met Henryk Kukier again in the first round, whom he again defeated on points. In the round of 16 he also won against Danny Lee from Great Britain . In the quarterfinals he was defeated by the new Soviet champion Sergei Sivko and had to retire. If he had won, he would have been guaranteed a medal.

In 1961 Manfred Homberg started at the German bantamweight championship, one weight class higher than the flyweight. In the final he faced the European bantamweight champion Horst Rascher from Karlsruhe from 1959 and defeated him on points. That was his third and last title win in a German championship.

After that, Manfred Homberg began to develop plans to become a professional boxer, but abandoned them because he did not want to give up his job as a telecommunications mechanic. Even as an amateur boxer, his career was drawing to a close. At the international level, he no longer fought and plans to compete again at the German championship in 1963 were not realized.

Manfred Homberg's victories in international matches were particularly noteworthy. He was beaten only once in nineteen missions when two Finnish judges helped their compatriot Roininen to a dubious points victory over Manfred Homberg in Helsinki in 1958 . He won seventeen fights, and once he boxed a draw.

Manfred Homberg died a few weeks after his 77th birthday, on August 12, 2010, in Düsseldorf.

International battles

• 1952 in Berlin , Germany against USA , KO winner 2nd round over Wright,
• 1953 in Düsseldorf , Germany against Ireland , points winner over Matthews,
• 1954 in London , England against FRG, points winner over Johnson,
• 1954 in Copenhagen , Denmark against FRG, techn. KO winner 2nd round over white,
• 1955 in Düsseldorf, Germany against USA, points winner over Heiji Shimabakura,
• 1957 in Dortmund , Germany against Poland , points winner over Henryk Kukier ,
• 1957 in Hamburg , FRG against USSR , points winner over Wiktor Bystrow ,
• 1958 in Helsinki , Finland against FRG, point defeat against Roininen,
• 1958 in San Remo , Italy against FRG, points winner over Curcetti,
• 1958 in Moscow , USSR against FRG, points winner over Vladimir Stolnikow ,
• 1959 in Essen , FRG against Poland, points winner over Henryk Kukier,
• 1959 in Berlin, Germany against France , points winner over Macrez,
• 1959 in Dortmund, FRG against USSR, points winner over Botvinnik,
• 1960 in Hamburg, Germany against England, points winner over Mallon,
• 1960 in Nantes , France against FRG, draw against Purcel,
• 1960 in Copenhagen, Denmark against FRG, points winner over Andersen,
• 1961 in Frankfurt am Main , Germany against Italy, points winner over Zurlo,
• 1962 in Munich, Germany against Poland, points winner over Bruno Bendig,
• 1962 in Lagos , Nigeria against FRG, Disq. Winner 3rd round over Karim Young,

swell

• Box Sport magazine from 1952 to 1963,
• BOX ALMANACH 1920–1980 , publisher of the German Amateur Boxing Association (DABV), 1980,
• The Stars of Sports from A – Z , editor Bodo Harenberg, Carl Habel publishing house, Berlin and Darmstadt, 1970
• Website "www.sport-komplett.de"

Individual evidence

1. ^ Information given by the Federal Government to the Bundestag on September 29, 1973 - Printed matter 7/1040 - Annex 3, page 54.
2. ^ "Rheinische Post" Düsseldorf edition of August 16, 2010