Bulgarian Olympic Glory – Boxing

published on 12/2/11 11:12 AM

At the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972 Georgi Kostadinov became the first Bulgarian Olympic champion in boxing

Photo: www.bgolympic.org

A number of archeological findings show that boxing emerged in ancient times, thousands of years before Christ. Men boxing in front of spectators are pictured on stone plates, discovered in Egypt and Iraq. These ancient contests are the base of the boxing sport, as we know it these days.

Boxing has been part of the ancient Olympic Games since 7th century BC when boxers used to wrap their hands with leather strips. At that time the sport was an Olympic discipline under the name of “pigmachia.” Through the culture of ancient Greece, boxing was popularized in ancient Rome, but historic data about its practicing after the decline of the Roman Empire are missing. The sport had its renaissance during the 18th century in England, when the term “boxing” actually started to be used. What is the history of boxing in Bulgaria?

The foundations were laid soon after the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule. In 1894, 12 teachers of physical education arrived to Bulgaria from Switzerland, introducing gymnastics and French boxing to the school curricula. In 1924 the first boxing department at the Bulgarian AS 23 sports club was established, before in 1939 the Bulgarian Union for Boxing, Wrestling and Weightlifting was established.

Boxing has been part of the modern Olympic Games since their revival in 1904. The games in 1912 in Stockholm were an exception, as the Swedish laws at that time banned boxing. Until the Games in 1952 in Helsinki Bulgaria did not have an Olympic medal. 63 Bulgarian participants competed in 8 disciplines at the forum. Boxer Boris Georgiev won the bronze medal. He lost at the semi finals to legendary US boxer Floyd Patterson, who a few years later became a two-time world heavyweight champion.

Boris Georgiev (left) became the first Bulgarian boxer to win an Olympic medal at the games in Helsinki in 1952.

At the Games in Tokyo in 1964 Alexander Nikolov won the bronze in the 81 kg category. Ivan Mihailov and Georgi Stankov added two more bronze medals to the Bulgarian collection in 1968 in Mexico, but despite the success the first Bulgarian Olympic title in the sport came in 1972 in Munich.

Petar Lesov

At the games in Germany Georgi Kostadinov became the first Bulgarian boxing Olympic champion. At the final Georgiev played with a strong pain in the right wrist but still managed to grab the gold. At the same forum Angel Angelov won a silver medal.

In Montreal in 1976 Vladimir Kolev won the bronze in the 60 kg category, while at the following games in Moscow great Bulgarian boxer Petar Lesov won the title at the age of 20. In Moscow Ivailo Marinov (born as Ismail Mustafov) also won a bronze medal in the 48 kg category.

In Seoul in 1988 he won the gold, while Alexander Hristov grabbed the silver medal in the 54 kg category.

Daniel Petrov

Daniel Petrov won the silver at the games in Barcelona in 1992, while Svilen Rusinov won the bronze in the super heavyweight category.

The Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 were the most successful for Bulgarian boxers. Daniel Petrov won the title then and Seraphim Todorov and Toncho Tonchev won silver medals.

The latest Bulgarian Olympic medal in boxing was the silver of Boris Georgiev in Athens 2004.

Bulgaria has a total of 17 Olympic medals in boxing, which places the country at the 15th place in the world chart.

Tervel Pulev

Bulgarian boxer Detelin Dalakliev has already won a quota for the Olympic Games in London in 2012.

Sport fans also expect that the European silver medallist from Ankara 2011 in the 91 kg category Tervel Pulev will be in good shape for the Olympic qualification that will take place next year. Bulgaria hopes for more medals in this attractive sport. The games in 2012 will remain in history as the first Olympic Games to include women’s boxing in their programme.

Photos: www.bgolympic.org

По публикацията работи: Alexander Markov

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