Nikolai Stepulov (20 March 1913 – 2 January 1968) was an Estonian lightweight boxer, military officer and criminal. As a boxer he won silver medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and 1937 European Championships, and fought professionally in 1938–39. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, after the Soviet invasion of Estonia in 1940, Stepulov, an ethnic Russian, became a collaborant in the so-called people's self-defence (RO). Later after returning to Soviet-controlled Estonia he was arrested a few times for burglary and died in a Soviet prison hospital.

Boxing career

Stepulov took up boxing in 1927 and in 1933–37 won six consecutive Estonian titles. At the 1936 Olympics he won his first four bouts and dominated the first round of the final against

Imre Harangi Imre Harangi (16 October 1913 – 4 February 1979) was a Hungarian amateur lightweight boxer. He placed second at the 1934 European Championships and won a gold medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially t ...

of Hungary. Yet Harangi performed better in the last two rounds, despite having both eyebrows swollen and cut open, and won by a close decision. Next year Stepulov narrowly lost the European final against Herbert Nürnberg. In 1938 he turned professional and fought in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany with a record of 5 wins (4 by knockout), 5 losses and 1 draw. His career was cut short by

. He attempted to return to boxing in 1945, but retired after placing second at the Estonian championships.

World War II and after

During his boxing career Stepulov served in the Estonian Army as a private, and was promoted to corporal for his Olympic success. In 1937 he worked as a messenger at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. In 1940, when Soviet troops entered Estonia, he became Soviet collaborant participated in disarming the Signal Battalion. In 1945 he returned to Estonia, claiming to been meanwhile a Soviet spy, and took odd jobs as a factory worker, turf cutter,

lumberjack Lumberjack is a mostly North American term for workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees. The term usually refers to loggers in the era before 1945 in the United States, when trees were felled us ...

and boxing coach and referee. He eventually became a heavy drinker and got involved with criminals. In 1955, he was arrested for burglary and sentenced to seven years. He was released after four years, but was later arrested a few more times for similar offenses. In the 1960s he developed the

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

and died in the hospital of the Tallinn central prison.

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* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stepulov, Nikolai 1913 births 1968 deaths Sportspeople from Narva People from Yamburgsky Uyezd Estonian people of Russian descent Estonian male boxers Lightweight boxers Olympic boxers for Estonia Boxers at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Estonia Olympic medalists in boxing Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics Estonian people of World War II Soviet military personnel of World War II Soviet prisoners and detainees Burials at Metsakalmistu