Jürgen Blin

Jürgen Blin
File:Jürgen Blin.jpg Jürgen Blin in 1971
Born	(1943-04-07)7 April 1943 Fehmarn, Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia, Germany
Died	7 May 2022(2022-05-07) (aged 79) Hamburg, Germany
Boxing career
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	Heavyweight
Boxing record
Total fights	48
Wins	30
Win by KO	8
Losses	12
Draws	6

Jürgen Blin (24 April 1943 – 7 May 2022) was a mid-20th century German boxer, who was the Heavyweight Champion of Germany, and European Heavyweight Champion in 1972, and internationally represented the state of West Germany.

Early life

Blin was born on the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn on 24 April 1943 during World War II, and was a native of the North German city of Hamburg. While living in Hamburg he was a butcher before his boxing career.

Boxing career

Blin's record in the ring was 30–12–6 with eight knockouts. He was greatly admired by German boxing fans for his toughness and stamina in the ring. He was briefly Heavyweight Champion of (West) Germany after defeating Gerhard Zech for the title (he had two draws with him previously).

File:Boxkampf Peter Weiland gegen Jürgen Blin um die Deutsche Meisterschaft im Schwergewicht (Kiel 79.375).jpg

Jürgen Blin (left) against Peter Weiland (right) for the German Heavyweight Championship in Kiel, 1968

His first professional bout came against Klaus Krüger in October 1964. Blin won this bout, as well as the next five bouts against domestic opponents, and lost his first professional bout in June 1965 to Ray Patterson in Jordal Amfi.

Blin lost a decision to Joe Bugner in May 1971 when fighting for the European Heavyweight title. Blin later won the title in June 1972, his greatest triumph in the ring, when he beat Jose Urtain (who had beaten Blin for the same title in June 1970). However, in October 1972, Blin once again faced Bugner who regained the title by knocking the German out in the eighth round.

On 26 December 1971, he fought the American boxer Muhammad Ali at Hallenstadion Arena, in Zürich, Switzerland, Blin being knocked out 2 minutes and 12 seconds into the seventh round.

Later years

Blin was co-author with Stephen Brunt of a chapter in a book titled Facing Ali (2002), about his 1971 contest with the United States champion boxer. He died of kidney failure at a hospital in Hamburg on 7 May 2022, aged 79.