1968 Olympic gold medalist still active as trainer

Press Release: Manfred Wolke, the popular German trainer turns 65 years old today.  At a reception in his gym in Frankfurt/Oder, he received greetings and presents from many friends. Among them were coaching colleague Ulli Wegner, Sauerland matchmaker Hagen Doering and managing director Chris Meyer. "We owe him a lot," Meyer lauded. "He has done so much for professional boxing in Germany and of course for Sauerland Event." In 1968, Wolke won the Olympic gold medal (welterweight). He then trained Rudi Fink (1980) and Henry Maske (1988) to first-place finishes at the Olympics. It was Wolke who helped make pro boxing a major sport in Germany during the nineties when he guided Maske to the IBF light heavyweight title plus ten successful defenses. Wolke currently trains heavyweight René Dettweiler, super-middleweight Danilo Haussler as well as cruiserweights Martin Kempf and Enad Licina. Wolke is not thinking about retirement: "I am a boxing enthusiast and will remain one for a very long time," he said during today´s celebrations.