WORLD BOXING COUNCIL NEWS

Posted on | March 21, 2009 | No Comments

March 20, 2009 – Mexico City.

From WBC President José Sulaimán:

On behalf of the World Boxing Council’s Board of Governors, I announce with the deepest regret and sadness the passing away of WBC Vice-President Edmund Lipinski of Russia, in Stuttgart, Germany, where he was the co-representative of the WBC for the heavyweight world championship fight between champion Vitali Klitschko and challenger Juan Carlos Gomez.

In addition to his position as WBC Vice-President, Mr. Lipinski was the Deputy General Director of the Moscow City Sports Bureau and the president of the Independent and Slovenian Boxing Bureau, as well as one of the most respected boxing personalities in the countries of the former Soviet Union.

He received the WBC Lifetime Achievement award in 2005. In 1959 he was conferred the title, “Master of Sports of the USSR.” In 1973 he received the award, “The Honor Coach of Russia,” and he was the chairman of the Russia Boxing Federation until 1987, the year that the institution joined the World Boxing Council.

It was during his tenure that Russia crowned Yuri Arbachakov as its first ever champion of the world on July 23,1992. Konstantin Tszyu was the second, with many others to come later.

Mr. Lipinski was one of the most solid pillars of the WBC and one who was known as a discreet, mature gentleman, a man of loyalty and devotion to his boxing principles and a permanent and unwavering love for his sport of boxing, his native country, Russia, and for the WBC, and he will be always remembered by the many friends that he made during his exemplary life.

He was a very good man, the best of friends. He never insulted, offended, or talked bad about anybody, ever. He was the most loyal man that you could imagine, and was always trying to be of service.