32918 - Johann Rukeli Trollman

N. Lygeros
Translated from the Greek by Vicky Baklessi

On March 1933 the gypsy Johann Rukeli Trollman, in twelve rounds, won the German Adolf Witt and was awarded the title of Germany’s champion in boxing. However, because of the government’s racism and of the mass media of that period which blamed him for not fighting in a genuine german manner, they canceled his title because they didn’t want it to belong to a gypsy. In essence they put an end to his professional career, Johann Rukeli Trollman became angry and decided to ridicule the nazi regime. So in his next match he puts white powder on his body and dyes his hair blond so that he looks german. Then he gets on the ring and instead of fighting in his classical manner, making fast moves with his feet and hitting his opponent in an unforeseen manner, he stood still in the center like a tree and sustained all the blows for five rounds until he passed out. This is how his career ended permanently. After years though, while his three brothers had been taken to concentration camps he was fighting at the russian front. In 1942 he got arrested by the Gestapo who convicts him to forced labor at Neuengamme concentration camp. On February 9th he is executed by the SS with a bullet at the level of his throat.