Sven Ottke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sven Ottke |
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Ottke in 2017
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| Born | 3 June 1967 Berlin-Spandau, West Germany |
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| Other names | The Phantom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | German | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division |
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| Reach | 175 cm (69 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fighting out of | Karlsruhe, Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trainer | Ulli Wegner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1985–2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Professional boxing record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amateur record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 308 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 256 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 47 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draws | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Sven Ottke (born 3 June 1967) is a famous German former professional boxer. He competed as a professional from 1997 to 2004. Sven Ottke was a world champion in the super-middleweight division. He held the IBF title from 1998 to 2004. He also held the WBA (Unified) title from 2003 to 2004.
Ottke successfully defended his world title 21 times. This is a record in the super-middleweight division, shared with another great boxer, Joe Calzaghe. Sven Ottke is also special because he was one of the few European boxers to retire as an undefeated world champion. Before him, only three others had done this: Jack McAuliffe, Terry Marsh, and Michael Loewe.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Sven Ottke was born in Spandau, a part of Berlin, Germany. Before becoming a boxer, he learned two different jobs. He trained to be a plasterer and also an industrial clerk.
When he was 14 years old, Sven joined a boxing club. It was called Spandauer BC 26 Berlin. This is where his amazing boxing journey began.
Amateur Boxing Career
Some people thought Sven started boxing too late. But he quickly proved them wrong! At just 18 years old, he became the German Champion in the Middleweight division. He went on to win ten more German titles.
Sven Ottke also competed in the Olympic Games three times. He was part of the German team in 1988, 1992, and 1996. He became the European Champion twice, in 1991 and 1996. He also won a bronze medal (third place) in 1993.
During his amateur career, Sven Ottke fought against many future boxing stars. He won matches against famous boxers like Antonio Tarver, Chris Byrd, Michael Moorer, Zsolt Erdei, and Juan Carlos Gómez.
His amateur record was very impressive:
- 256 wins
- 47 losses
- 5 draws
He was the German Middleweight Champion from 1985 to 1989. He also won the German National Middleweight Champion title in 1990–1991 and 1995–1996. In 1992–1993, he was the German National Light Heavyweight Champion.
Professional Boxing Journey
After a long and successful amateur career with 308 fights, Sven Ottke became a professional boxer in 1997. He quickly made a name for himself. Less than a year later, on October 24, 1998, he won his first world title. He defeated Charles Brewer to become the IBF super middleweight champion.
Sven Ottke defended his IBF title 16 times. He faced many tough opponents like Thomas Tate (twice), Glen Johnson, Silvio Branco, James Butler, and Anthony Mundine. He even had a rematch with Charles Brewer.
In 2003, Sven Ottke reached the peak of his career. On March 13, 2003, he won another major title. He defeated Byron Mitchell to become the WBA champion. This meant he held two world titles at the same time!
After defending his titles a total of 21 times, Sven Ottke decided to retire. He stepped down as an undefeated world champion on March 27, 2004. His professional record was 34 wins and 0 losses. He won 6 of his fights by knockout. In 2003, the IBF named him "Fighter of the Year."
Sven Ottke was known for being a very tough and strong fighter. Most of his wins came from judges' decisions rather than knockouts. This showed how skilled he was at outsmarting his opponents over many rounds.
Images for kids
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Ottke in 2017
See also
In Spanish: Sven Ottke para niños
