Viktor Grigoryevich Savchenko

Viktor Savchenko

Viktor Grigoryevich Savchenko ( Russian Виктор Григорьевич Савченко , English transcription Viktor Savchenko ; born September 17, 1952 in Ataman , Henitschesk Rajon , Ukrainian SSR ) is a former Soviet boxer . He was world champion in 1978 and European light middleweight champion in 1977. He also won a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympic Games and a silver medal in the semi-middle and middleweight division in 1980.

Career

Viktor Savchenko grew up in Ukraine and started boxing as a teenager. After the first major successes, he trained in the joint training center of the army and the Dynamo sports organization in Dnepropetrovsk . He himself was a member of the sports organization Avangard.

For the first time he made a lasting impression in 1975 when he was champion of Ukraine in the light middleweight division. Although he did not take part in the Soviet championship in 1975, he had made such a good impression on the responsible Soviet coach and especially on head coach Boris Stepanov that he was nominated for this year's European championship in Katowice . In Katowice he won the light middleweight division over Svetomir Belić from Yugoslavia , Alexandru Tirboi from Romania and Mihaly Rapcsak from Hungary, each with a clear 5-0 judge's vote. In the final, however, he was defeated by the experienced silver medalist from the 1972 Olympic Games Wiesław Rudkowski from Poland with 1: 4 judges' votes on points.

Viktor Savchenko was also sent to the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal . After a victory over John Odhiambho from Uganda without a fight , he came in the next two fights to knockout victories in the 2nd round over Pierangelo Pira from Italy and Alfredo Lemus from Venezuela . As a high favorite he also went to the semifinals against Jerzy Rybicki from Poland , but he showed nerves in this fight and lost just 2: 3 judges' votes on points and had to be satisfied with the Olympic bronze medal .

In 1977 Viktor Savchenko was the first Soviet champion with a points victory over Alexei Kruts. In the same year he won his first international title at the European Championships in Halle in the light middleweight division. With a demolition victory in the second round of Vasile Didea from Romania, a bloodless victory over Zheljo Stefanov from Bulgaria , a clear 5: 0-point victory over Jerzy Rybicki and a knockout victory in the first round of Markus Intlekofer from the Federal Republic of Germany was he is European champion in a superior style .

In 1978 Viktor Savchenko fully concentrated on the World Cup in Belgrade . For this reason, he did not start in the Soviet championship. This paid off in Belgrade, because he won there after a no-fight victory over George Kabuto from Uganda against Erol Keloglu from Turkey by breaking off in the first round and knocked out his old opponent Jerzy Rybicki in the semifinals in the first round. In the final he showed his nerve again in the fight against Luis Felipe Martínez from Cuba and came to a happy 3-2 point win and thus became world champion .

In 1979 Viktor Savchenko had to accept a surprising loss in the third round against Anatoly Koptew in the Soviet middleweight championship in the semifinals. As the more experienced boxer, he was still used at the European Championships in Cologne . In the light middleweight division he won there over Ulf Thorkildsen from Denmark by breaking off in the 1st round, over Vasile Girgavu from Romania by knocking out in the 1st round and over Markus Intlekofer without a fight. In the final he showed his known weaknesses and was unexpectedly defeated by the Yugoslav Miodrag Perunović with 2: 3 judge votes on points.

In 1980 Viktor Savchenko finally moved to the middleweight division. In preparation for the Olympic Games in Moscow , he won two well-manned tournaments in Belgrade and Lodz in the spring of this year with a demolition win in the 2nd round over Boyko Kostadinow from Bulgaria and with a clear win over Tarmo Uusivirta from Finland . At the Soviet championship he succeeded in the final of the middleweight division, the revenge against Anatoly Koptew, which he clearly beat on points this time.

In the Olympic boxing tournament he only celebrated premature demolition victories in his first four fights: against Damir Škaro from Yugoslavia in the 3rd round, against Robert Pfitscher from Austria in the 2nd round, against Manfred Trauten from the GDR in the 2nd round and against Jerzy Rybicki in the 3rd round. In the final he did not manage to use his physical advantages against José Gómez Mustelier from Cuba. Gomez did not let himself be put by the powerful Savchenko and won the gold medal with a 4-1 point win . Only the silver medal remained for Viktor Savchenko .

After the Olympic Games in Moscow, Viktor Savchenko ended his international boxing career. He was certainly one of the most powerful light middleweights or middleweights that have ever stood as an amateur in the ring, as shown by his many short-round knockout victories or demolition victories. The fact that he did not win more international titles was due to his nerves, which he did not have fully under control, of all things, in the finals.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship, Hm = light middleweight, Wed = middleweight, back then up to 72 kg or 75 kg body weight)

• 1975: 2nd place , EM in Katowice , Hm, behind Wieslaw Rudkowski , Poland and in front of Mihaly Rapcsak, Hungary a . Dorfer, Austria ;
• 1976: Bronze medal , OS in Montreal , Hm, behind Jerzy Rybicki , Poland a . Tadija Kacar , Yugoslavia , together with Rolando Garbey , Cuba ;
• 1977: 1st place , EM in Halle / Saale , Hm, ahead of Markus Intlekofer , FRG , Marjamaa, Finland a . Jerzy Rybicki;
• 1978: 1st place , World Championships in Belgrade , Hmm, ahead of Luis Felipe Martínez , Cuba, Jerzy Rybicki u. Iliev, Bulgaria ;
• 1979: 2nd place , EM in Cologne , Hm, behind Miodrag Perunovic , Yugoslavia a. before Rstislav Osicka, CSSR a. Markus Intlekofer;
• 1980: Silver medal , OS in Moscow , Wed, behind José Gómez Mustelier , Cuba a. before Valentin Silaghi , Romania a . Jerzy Rybicki

Soviet championships

(Final results)

• 1977: Hm, points winner over Alexei Kruts,
• 1980: Wed, points winner over Anatoli Koptew

International battles

• 1976: Moscow , USSR against USA , Hm, knockout winner 1st round over Keith Broom,
• 1977: Las Vegas , USA versus USSR, Hm, demolition winner 2nd round over Clinton Jackson,
• 1977: Shreveport , USA against USSR, Hm, knockout winner 2nd round over J. Reiford,
• 1977: Milwaukee , USA against USSR, Hm, knockout winner 1st round over Rusty Rosenberger,
• 1979: Las Vegas, USA versus USSR, Wed, points winner over Jeff McCracken,
• 1979: Lafayette , USA versus USSR, Wed, KO winner 1st round over Poncho Carter,
• 1980: Moscow, USSR versus USA, Wed, KO-Soeger 1st round over Jose Cruz

literature

• Box Sport trade journal from 1975 to 1980
• Box Almanac 1920–1980. Editor of the German Amateur Boxing Association, 1980,

Web links

• Viktor Savchenko in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )