Dieter Renz

Dieter Renz lost his first contest at the 1968 Mexico Olympics when he suffered a 0-5 decision in favour of the Italian Giorgio Bambini. That same year Renz enjoyed his most memorable victory, when he beat George Foreman, by disqualification, in an international match between West Germany and the USA. In 1965, 1967-68 Renz was the West German heavyweight champion.

In 1969, exactly one year after his historic victory over Foreman, Renz was killed in a mountaineering accident near St. Moritz. He started a mountain hike with friends in the Swiss Alps. He was wearing new shoes and slipped, rolling into a field below. At the time, it did not seem dangerous to his fellow hikers but, unknown to them, there was a steep ravine beyond the field, out of sight. They soon realised, however, that Renz had plunged to the depths of the ravine and, at 26-years-of-age, the Olympian was dead.