Manfred Wolke dead at 81: Boxing world mourns as Olympic champion and legendary trainer dies after long illness

The BOXING world is mourning the death of Manfred Wolke, who has passed away aged 81.

The former German welterweight had been battling an incurable form of insanity for many years.

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And according to Die Stimme Berlinshe tragically lost his fight against the disease late last month.

Tributes began pouring in for the late Wolke as News of his death was made public.

One boxing fan wrote: “The great boxing trainer Manfred Wolke has died. RIP.”

Wolke reportedly spent his final days in a health center in Frankfurt, where his wife Brigitte visited him regularly.

But as her condition worsened, Brigitte reportedly began to restrict the number of visitors she received.

His protégé Henry Maske, however, was allowed to visit him on his 80th birthday.

Fellow coach Ulli Wegner paid tribute to his compatriot upon learning of his passing.

He said: “Manfred brought German professional boxing back to the top.

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“This is his achievement.”

The late Wolke trained as a train mechanic before dedicating himself fully to boxing.

He excelled in the sport, so much so that he was selected for the East Germanyfrom the 1968 Olympic team.

Wolke would take home the gold medal at the Mexican Games thanks to his victory over Cameroon‘s Joseph Bessala in the 147-pound tournament final.

He would dedicate his hand to training the next generation of fighters after hanging up their gloves.

Wolke trained three-time IBF heavyweight title challenger Axel Schulz, who shared the ring with Michael Morer, George Foreman and Wladimir Klitschko.

Wolke helped guide his protégé Maske to the prestigious IBF belt, which he defended ten times, in 1993.

Most recently, he trained former unified title challenger Francesco Pianeta, who faced British boxing icon Tyson Fury in 2018.

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