Ulli Nitzschke

East German heavyweight boxer Ulli Nitzschke reached the quarter-finals at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He then lost to Italian Mino Bozzano by decision. In 1953 he was the European light-heavyweight champion, and two years later was runner-up. Nitzschke was East German middleweight champion in 1951, the light-heavyweight champion in 1952 and 1953, and heavyweight champion in 1955.

In 1958, during a traffic control, he got into an altercation with the Nationale Volkspolizei (National People’s Police), which resulted in him being imprisoned for four months, after which he planned his flight into the Federal Republic of Germany. He was helped by the US secret service to reach West Berlin in 1958. In West Berlin he turned professional until he retired in 1963, having won 23 bouts, losing six and drawing one. In 1967 he was involved in a serious car accident which left him invalided.