Danish training legend Ricard Olsen passes away at 72

[Ruthless-RKO]

By Scott Shaffer

Danish trainer Ricard Olsen passed away yesterday after a long illness. He was 72 years old.

Olsen was the original trainer of Denmark's all-time greatest boxer, Mikkel Kessler, putting Kessler on the road to a world championship when Kessler was just 13. Other Danish boxers who learned from Olsen included Rudy Markussen and Mads Larsen. Olsen also molded his own son, Frank Olsen, into a professional boxer.

Frank fought professionally from 1995-2001, and with Ricard in his corner, Frank put up a 35-1 career record with a minor world welterweight title (IBC) to their credit.

The Danish website Seoghoer,dk quoted Kessler with the following tribute to Olsen: "Ricard is a great person. He was someone who always took care of me and the other boxers, even though he did not get much money for the job when we were amateurs." Boxingtalk sends its condolences to Frank, and all family and friends of Ricard Olsen.

[margaret thatcher]

RIP to slick Ric, the gawd father of Danish trainers