‘She was positive even when she was sick’: two-time Olympic champion Lagutin dies

Two-time Olympic boxing champion, Boris Lagutin, has died at the age of 84. It has been reported Russian Boxing Federation.

“Yesterday evening, at the age of 85, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR Boris Nikolaevich Lagutin died, six-time champion of the USSR (1959, 1961–1964, 1968), two-time European champion (1961, 1963) and the first two-time Olympic champion in the history of our country. 1964 Tokyo, 1968 Mexico City). The Russian Boxing Federation expresses its sincere condolences to the family, friends and fans of the talent of Boris Nikolaevich, ”the message reads.

In his youth, Lagutin was not a fighter, and when he saw the recruitment advertisement, he accidentally enrolled in the boxing section. Being in the club “Wings of the Soviets”, led by Viktor Trenin, since 1955, the young athlete did not show outstanding qualities and was not considered promising. However, did it work hard? In 1957, he won and won the right to speak at the Moscow championship.

In the final, 19-year-old Lagutin defeated not only anyone, but also Viktor Mednov, the silver medalist of the 1952 Olympics.

Two years later, Lagutin for the first time became the champion of the USSR in the weight category up to 71 kg. This enabled him to participate in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. However, despite his brilliant performance, he did not reach gold at that time. In the semifinals with a score of 2:3, Lagutin lost to the American Wilbert McClure, who saw the tactics of the opponent – Lagutin was good from afar, but unlike McClure, he had problems in close combat. The American athlete won both this challenge and the last challenge.

As Lagutin himself admitted, he was angered by this failure and tasked himself with winning the next Olympic Games. On the way to the 1964 Olympics, he became the European champion twice, won the Soviet championship four years in a row, and was awarded the honorary titles of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR and Outstanding Boxer of the USSR. But the main goal was still Olympic gold.

Lagutin achieved this goal in 1964. He came to the tournament in Tokyo as the captain of the USSR national team, played five fights and won everything. He faced Frenchman Joseph Gonzalez in the final and won with a score of 4:1.

And four years later, Boris Lagutin again went to the Olympics in Mexico City, but by that time he was 30 years old and was considered a senior. The Soviet sports leadership would not allow him to go to the Games, initially preferring young boxers. It was implied to Lagutin himself that not a single Soviet boxer has yet competed in three Olympics and has had no chance of qualifying himself.

At the same time, three months before the Games, Lagutin won the USSR title in Leninakan, defeating Viktor Ageev and Valery Tregubov. This victory “at the top” was considered accidental, and yet they intended to send Ageev to Mexico. But luck intervened: Ageev was kicked out of the national team for a fight, and instead Lagutin received another chance for an Olympic medal.

Using this opportunity to the fullest, he advanced to the final and defeated Cuban Rolando Garbey, 10 years younger than him, with a score of 5:0 in the decisive match. Lagutin described this achievement as the most expensive in his career.

Soon an outstanding athlete ended his career. She received a diploma from Moscow State University, a remarkable graduating from the Faculty of Biology. But she did not work in her specialty, she continued her sports career. He was the responsible organizer of sports in the Komsomol Central Committee, for five years he was vice-president of the Spartak sports club, for some time he led the USSR Boxing Federation. In the last years of his life, Lagutin periodically told students of educational institutions in different cities of Russia stories about his eventful career.

“Boris Nikolaevich Lagutin, a truly first-class man, passed away. A world boxing legend with a unique fighting style. I would like to express my condolences to his family and friends. Boris Nikolayevich was an outstanding person who always strived for the development of boxing and helped the younger generation to master this craft.

He always supported both with advice and a good job, ready to help in any particular situation.

The older generation of athletes has always been equal and imitated the strong personality of Boris Nikolayevich.

And even after the end of his career, he did not give up his most important task in life – to lead novice athletes into the world of great boxing, ”said the artist. TASS.

Former absolute world champion Konstantin Tszyu also spoke about the death of an outstanding athlete. He said he was happy to meet Lagutin and called him a legend.

“I am very happy to have had the opportunity to meet him and establish good relations.

Over the past few years, I have been struck by the positivity that always radiated from him, even when he was sick.

Wherever and with whomever, his wife was always by his side. And even when he was sick, it was a huge positive. I am happy to know him personally, for me he is the greatest legend of our sport and a great example, ”Tszyu told socialbites.ca.