A half-day with Sven Ottke!

January 16, 2007

Report/Photos: Daniel Hiller

I was headed with a friend to Halle/Germany on Saturday where Thomas Ulrich was to fight for the European championship.

About halfway there, at a small hotel we met former super middleweight champion Sven Ottke. Ottke was going to be doing a one-hour autograph session at a local shopping center and I was there to take some pictures for the sponsors. While eating a late breakfast, Ottke looked like an active athelete with his "Sport Assistance" baseball cap, sport shoes and running shirt. Ottke offers one of his rolls to me. I'm a little hungry, but I pass nevertheless.

I knew Ottke only as a unspectacular ring fox who retired unbeaten in 2004 with a record of 34-0 and 21 title defenses. He was a really a nice chap. I found his hands surprising. The nose and forehead betrayed his former occupation, but I would have assumed the well maintained small hands to be that of an office worker, not a world champion boxer.

Now the autograph hour. At first, he was to comment to the onlookers on the training of a new generation of boxers from the local Merseburger SV boxing club. Ottke only spoke briefly however, before he changed his role as a commentator to that of a coach. "Don't drop the hands, you are open like a barn gate!" he tells one boxer. After a while, the boxers are tired out and Ottke must now speak about himself to the 800 people on hand.

Ottke is a big star in Germany and the fans wanted to know what he's doing these days. "No more boxing," he says. "I'm running in the New York Marathon. I play golf and want to become a golf teacher, but first I must improve my handicap of 11 to 8."

Ottke brought about 300 autograph cards with him and after two hours he thought he was wrapping things up. "No more cards," said the former world champion. But ending the session is not so simple. People pulled out their mobile phones to take photos of them posing together with Ottke, and after signing copies of his book and countless baseball hats, it was over. "Some actually had my book and had already waited hours for me. I hadn;t expected that," stated a pleased Ottke afterward.

He also presented some boxing boots to the Director of the shoe museum in Weißenfels, who was pleased to add a new pair to the collection. "I wore that that pair often," Sven told her. "I also wore them two times when defending my title."

In the cellar of the center, Ottke spoke to us a little about boxing. I am inspired as he comments on Arthur Abraham, Nikolai Valuev, Tomas Adamek and Oscar De La Hoya. "You're driving to see Ulrich?," he asked. "That was such a talent. He could do everything. We fought in the amateurs. I hope he finds the way back to his old strength."

We unfortunately had no time for a longer discussion. We had far to go and Thomas Ulrich cannot wait for us, so after a short good-bye and we were again on the motorway.

Later, at ringside while watching an undercard fight between two women for a world title, I wished to myself that Ottke was sitting on a small chair in the ring speaking about boxing to the 5,000 in attendance for ten rounds.