Quick Facts
Biography
Bernd Wittenburg (born April 1, 1950) is a former German boxer. He was one of the most internationally successful boxers from GDR, from 1972 to 1976.
Early life and education
Wittenburg was born on 1 April 1950, in Neukloster, near Wismar. He grew up in Wismar and attended Polytechnische Oberschule, POS. After completing his school education, Wittenburg completed an apprenticeship as a car locksmith and spent his spare time boxing at today's PSV Wismar e.V in Wismar.
Boxing Career
He started boxing as a junior, and because of his good performances in the national junior division, he was delegated to SC Dynamo Berlin.
In 1970 he was the middleweight winner at a Friendship Tournament in Vidin, Bulgaria.
In 1971, Wittenburg participated in the GDR championship for the first time and finished third in the middleweight position behind Peter Urbach from SG Motor Görlitz, and Hans-Jürgen Voigtländer from SG Wismut Gera.
In 1972, he was the first East German middleweight champion with a victory in the final over Hans-Joachim Brauske, SC Chemie Halle. In the same year, he also won the semi-heavyweight championship in Sofia with a point victory in the final over Jozef Pietrzak from Poland.
In 1973, Wittenburg won the GDR middleweight title. He won a bronze medal at the first World Championships in 1974 in Havana, after losing in the semi-final by Rufat Riskiyev.
At the European Championships in 1975 in Katowice, he won the silver medal after losing in the final against Vyacheslav Lemeshev of USSR.
At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, he was eliminated in the second fight after losing to the later bronze medalist Luis Martínez of Cuba.
At the European Championships 1977 in Halle, he won a silver medal, after losing in the finals to Leonid Szaposznikow of the Soviet Union.
Wittenburg retired from boxing in 1977 and served as a coach for SC "Dynamo" Berlin until 1983. He currently lives in Kreptitz, Dranske, where he runs a camping site, Ostseewind.
