Laszlo Papp, the first boxer to win three Olympic gold medals, has died after a long illness. He was 77.
The Hungarian won the middleweight gold in London in 1948, and light-middleweight golds in Helsinki in 1952 and in Melbourne in 1956.
In 1957, at the age of 31, he received permission from the government to turn professional, becoming the first professional boxer from a communist country.
He won the European middleweight title in 1962, but the government refused to allow him to fight for the world title in 1965 and he retired to become a coach for the Hungarian Olympic team.
His professional record was 26 victories (15 by knockout) three draws, no losses.
In 1989, the World Boxing Council named Papp an honorary world champion and also designated Papp the world's best amateur and professional middleweight boxer of all time.
The great Laszlo Papp...gone.
The great Laszlo Papp...gone.
Last edited by bennie on 16 Oct 2003, 12:37, edited 1 time in total.
-
TerribleTerry
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 5272
- Joined: 29 Aug 2003, 12:30
-
knockout artist
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 1482
- Joined: 03 Sep 2003, 13:18
