|
A former East German amateur boxer and coach, Sdunek had been
working for the Universum boxing group in Hamburg since the
mid-1990s, coaching the Ukrainian brothers to world titles
before semi-retiring in 2009.
"Today we received the sad news that our friend and former coach
Fritz Sdunek has passed away," the Klitschkos said in a
statement.
"When we came to Germany, Fritz was the most important person to
us. He always supported us and was the coach that made us world
champions - we will forever be grateful.
"Fritz's death is a huge personal loss to us. In these hard
times our thoughts and prayers are with his family," they added.
Sdunek, a highly respected boxing figure in Germany, remained
coach of Vitali until the end of his boxing career when the
older Klitschko turned to politics in his home country following
his last bout and victory as WBC champion in 2012.
He also guided current champion Vladimir to the WBO crown in
2000.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
