Eckhard Dagge (27 February 1948 – 4 April 2006) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

professional

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

who competed in the

super welterweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in boxing but also may include other combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the IBF o ...

division. Eckhard Dagge was Germany's second world champion, after

Max Schmeling Maximilian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling (, ; 28 September 1905 – 2 February 2005) was a German boxing, boxer who was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932. His two fights with Joe Louis in 1936 and 1938 were worldwide cul ...

, holding the World Boxing Council Light Middleweight title from 1976 to 1977. Dagge also held German National and European titles, during his ten-year career.

Background

Dagge was born in Berlin,

Allied-occupied Germany The entirety of Germany was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II, from the Berlin Declaration on 5 June 1945 to the establishment of West Germany on 23 May 1949. Unlike occupied Japan, Nazi Germany was stripped of its sov ...

, in 1948. He learned how to fight in the bars and taverns of

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. He would later embark on an amateur career, in which he won 66 out of 80 bouts, before falling short of making the 1972 Olympic Team. Dagge turned professional in 1973, at the age of 25.

Professional career

Dagge would win the German Middleweight title, in his 6th bout. Dagge would follow up with wins over notable, but faded fighters

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and Manuel González. In 1974, Dagge challenged Jose Manuel Duran for the European Light Middleweight title, losing by 11th-round TKO. He came back the next year however, and stopped Duran in the 9th round, to win the title. He would defend the title once, before losing it by decision to

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. Dagge earned a title shot against WBC Light Middleweight champion Elisha Obed on 17 June 1976. Dagge pulled off a stunning upset of Obed, winning by 10th-round TKO, to win the title in Berlin. Dagge was scheduled to defend his title against

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. However Seales pulled out a of the fight and former champion

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stepped in as a replacement. The result was Dagge winning a controversial majority decision. He followed this up with a draw over England's Maurice Hope, a future world champion. Dagge then faced Australia-based Italian

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on 6 August 1977, and was knocked out in the 5th round. Dagge would win six more bouts over lesser opposition until he was stopped by Brian Anderson in 1981, he retired from the ring shortly thereafter.

Professional boxing record

Life after boxing

Dagge had a reputation as a wild man during his career and afterwards, as he struggled with alcoholism. Dagge worked with Universum after his pro career ended, training

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, and Mario Schiesser. However, he was dismissed from his job as a manager in 1994, due to absenteeism and his problems with alcoholism. Dagge died on 4 April 2006 in Hamburg, Germany, after a battle with cancer.

References

External links