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Posted: 02 Apr 2006, 15:22
by BoxBuzz
Only a guess here, but if he offed himself there is likely much to his story in the way of personal trials and tribulations. Not knowing the details it's hard to say, but he had such promise it may be a sad story of not recognizing his own worth and potential.
You might try the british forum it may lead you to some answers.
Posted: 02 Apr 2006, 15:44
by silkov
I remember him quite well... physically he resembled a young Joe Bugner... quite a big guy, nice boxer but missing that bit of devil (like Bugner too) while Bruno was getting rave reviews with his spectacular wins Pika was more unspectacular and didn't get much publicity but he certainly had a lot of talent. I think however that he had a drug problem and that this was behind his tragic death... I maybe wrong about the drugs but certainly his death was tragic... its a shame he's not better remembered...
Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 07:57
by Ezzard
I rememebr the match being talked about as a potential British superfight for the future. It certainly is a shame that he's rarely talked about.
Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 08:29
by silkov
Looking at his record he had some decent wins for a fighter at that level... he beat Allen and Neilson both also Bruno opponents... I seem to remember the Neilson bout and think Eddie gave a good account of himself till he was stopped I think... Pika didnt have the power of Bruno but was probably a better all round boxer skills wise... he was also very inactive for most of his career, whether this was due to out of the ring problems I don't know... very sad that he was still just 24 when he died who knows what he could have acheived had things been different...
Posted: 22 May 2006, 17:49
by funso banjo baby
just trolling and picked up this PIKA thread.... i remember him...he was shaping up to be a decent boxer and contender at british level....basically in shape and style a bit of a Scott Gammer.....(didnt kno what happened to him until now)
Posted: 22 May 2006, 17:55
by bennie
Drugs played no part in the suicide of Rudi Pika. Marital problems, the thought of losing his kids, was behind it.
rudi pika
Posted: 07 Nov 2006, 08:08
by marlon
rudi was a family friend,drugs were not his problem ,personal problems were. rudi was not big enough for the heavyweight div,if glen mcrory was good enough to win a world title i personaly think rudi would have had a field day in this weight class .bruno had already been signed up so he wasnt going to lose the decision , my elder brothers were mates of his and went to the finals , bruno was out on his feet in the third round ,the writing was on the wall for brunos future even then rudi was a gentleman ,a great loss .
Posted: 07 Nov 2006, 13:03
by 57philbox
what a sad story;i remember his close aba final with bruno,lots thought pika had done enough.saw him box at the albert hall, i think he had a brother called heino.
Re: rudi pika
Posted: 07 Nov 2006, 19:26
by Owain
marlon wrote:rudi was a family friend,drugs were not his problem ,personal problems were. rudi was not big enough for the heavyweight div,if glen mcrory was good enough to win a world title i personaly think rudi would have had a field day in this weight class .bruno had already been signed up so he wasnt going to lose the decision , my elder brothers were mates of his and went to the finals , bruno was out on his feet in the third round ,the writing was on the wall for brunos future even then rudi was a gentleman ,a great loss .
Marlon,
I run a website dedicated to Welsh boxers (
WELSH WARRIORS -
http://www.johnnyowen.com/Recs/Hvy/rudi_pika.html ) and have Rudi on the site however, if you could give me any information that I could use to make his page more prominent I would be very grateful. Also, if you have a photo that you could email to me I would appreciate it.
Thanks
Posted: 07 Nov 2006, 19:52
by marlon
rudi had marital probs and i dont think people close to him realised how stressed he was , yes his brothers name is heino ,a real hard nut but lighter than rudi. ive heard rave reviews about rudi's son who is supposed to be a bit handy inside the ropes
Posted: 09 Nov 2006, 19:30
by Owain
mercman wrote:I run a website dedicated to Welsh boxers ( WELSH WARRIORS -
http://www.johnnyowen.com/Recs/Hvy/rudi_pika.html ) and have Rudi on the site however, if you could give me any information that I could use to make his page more prominent I would be very grateful. Also, if you have a photo that you could email to me I would appreciate it.
I've checked the site out before Owain (congratulations. It is really great to see this sort of thing) but something a bit more on Rudi Pika would be good. As a top amateur and undefeated pro heavyweight it would seem fitting to remember him in this way.
ps I think I remember seeing a photo of him in a BBBC Yearbook back in the 1980s. Unfortunately, I can't remember which year though.
Thanks for the info; I'll look into it.
Re: Rudi Pika - the forgotten heavyweight
Posted: 29 Dec 2006, 19:15
by carl pika 123
mercman wrote:Rudi Pika's name cropped up on a recent thread and I tried to get a bit of discussion going about him but nobody really responded. I've been wondering why . I know he killed himself at a young age, which is tragic, and that as a youngster he was seen as a hot prospect for a while. As an amateur he was Welsh champion and he fought Frank Bruno in the 1980 ABA final: at the time there was tremendous publicity around the fight and more than a little contoversy when Bruno got the verdict. As a pro Pika was undefeated and ,among others, beat Glenn McCrory.
Although other boxers that died young or were unfulfilled prospects are often discussed on this forum Pika hardly ever gets a mention, which seems strange. Does anybody know anything about him? What sort of boxer was he? Why despite a 100% record did he drift out of boxing? Anyone know anything or is he really the "forgotten heavyweight"? I'm puzzled.
Re: Rudi Pika - the forgotten heavyweight
Posted: 29 Dec 2006, 19:20
by carl pika 123
Hi I wanted to reply to your message, I'm Carl Pika, Rudi Pika's Son.
If you require any further information, please email me at a friends email email address as follows;
[email protected]
Posted: 30 Dec 2006, 16:58
by icejack
Remember him ,saw him fight 2 or 3 times at the royal albert hall (nielson i think) and onece at Wembley ,the night Bonecrusher beat Bruno.That night if memory serves me correct he fought a bloke called Lynwood Jones and a gasp went up around the crowd when his weight was told (about 18 stone I think). Pika wasnt a big heavy (about 14.5 stone) He was a good boxer who moved well but not a massive hitter. Yes ,could have been easilly a British /Europeon champion.He was decent and apart from Bruno he could have beat all the other British fighters of the time.
Re: Rudi Pika - the forgotten heavyweight
Posted: 30 Dec 2006, 21:40
by Owain
carl pika 123 wrote:Hi I wanted to reply to your message, I'm Carl Pika, Rudi Pika's Son.
If you require any further information, please email me at a friends email email address as follows;
[email protected]
Email sent
Posted: 10 Jan 2007, 09:16
by drslinky66
My dad grew up with Rudy and was a good friend. I was also in school(Fitzalan) with Carl, tho he was a year younger. My dad went along to the Bruno fight and I think he got arrested for kicking off at the verdict, dad always said he was robbed.
Ill see if hes got any old photos.
Carl if you read this and dont want them posted, e-mail me and let me know.
Posted: 11 Jan 2007, 06:20
by drslinky66
spoke to my dad, only picture he has is of them in Form 1 in School.
Posted: 11 Jan 2007, 18:38
by Floyd
I think I have a photo of him from a yearbook dated 83 or 84. I'll check it out.