When looking back on his career, boxing icon Henry Maske thinks most fondly of his gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul
When looking back on his successful career, boxing icon Henry Maske thinks most fondly of his gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. “The Olympic victory is something incredibly important. It’s in my chest and in my head. I’m very happy for this memory, I like to keep it present,” said Maske in an interview with the SID.
The “Gentleman” celebrates his 60th birthday on Saturday.
Maske will spend it in his adopted home town of Overath near Cologne “very quietly in a small family circle”. 35 years after winning the Olympic middleweight title for the GDR, the former world champion’s life has calmed down somewhat, but he remains committed to boxing.
“The sport has left an incredible mark on me. Things that go hand in hand with it are still with me. The personality development, the profile, the way of dealing with things,” said Maske.
Born in Brandenburg, he turned professional in 1990 and won 31 of his 32 fights at light heavyweight. In the 90s, Maske took boxing out of the muckraking corner and made it socially acceptable, with tens of millions of viewers watching his fights against Virgil Hill and Graciano Rocchigiani on TV. “I got far more than I ever expected,” says Maske looking back.
