Johann Wilhelm "Rukeli" Trollmann (27 December 1907 – April 1944) was a German

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. Trollmann became famous in the late 1920s. On 9 June 1933, he fought for the German light-heavyweight title and although he clearly led by points over his opponent Adolf Witt, the fight was judged "no result". The audience rebelled, and the Nazi officials were forced to acknowledge Trollmann as the victor. However, six days later he was stripped of the title. A new fight was scheduled for 21 July, with Gustav Eder as Trollmann's opponent. Trollmann was threatened that he had to change his "dancing" style or lose his licence. Trollmann arrived the day of the match with his hair dyed blonde and his face whitened with flour, the caricature of an

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. He took the blows of his opponent as he was asked for five rounds before he collapsed. The persecution of Sinti and

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in Germany dramatically increased in the following years. Sterilization often preceded their internment in concentration camps, and Trollmann too underwent this operation. In 1939 he was drafted into the Wehrmacht, and fought on the eastern front. He was wounded in 1941 and was returned to Germany as a result. The Gestapo arrested him in June 1942, and he was interned in Neuengamme concentration camp. He tried to keep a low profile, but the camp commandant had been a boxing official before the war and recognized Trollmann. He used Trollmann as a trainer for his troops during the nights. The prisoners committee decided to act, as Trollmann's health deteriorated. They faked his death and managed to get him transferred to the adjacent camp of Wittenberge under an assumed identity. The former star was soon recognized and the prisoners organized a fight between him and Emil Cornelius, a former criminal and hated Kapo (a prisoner given privileges for taking on responsibilities in the camp, often a convict working for a reduced sentence or parole). Trollmann won, Cornelius sought revenge for his humiliation and forced Trollmann to work all day until he was exhausted, before attacking and killing him with a shovel. Trollmann was 36 years old.

Rehabilitation and commemoration

In 2003, the German boxing federation officially recognised Trollmann as the winner of the 1933 championship. On 9 June 2010, the anniversary of his championship fight, the German artist collective

Bewegung Nurr Bewegung Nurr is an artists' collective that operates in the fields of sculpture, installation art, graffiti, video art, photography, and painting. The collective was founded in Dresden, Germany in 1989. Work The collective explores issues having ...

erected a temporary memorial "9841" in the Berlin Victoria Park to honour Trollmann. The memorial was also displayed the following year in Hannover and in Dresden in 2012 for six weeks. The title refers to Trollmann's prison number. In 2015, the Italian alternative rock band

C.F.F. e il Nomade Venerabile C.F.F. e il Nomade Venerabile is an Italian alternative rock band formed in 1999 in Gioia del Colle (Bari, Apulia). Musical style The band stands out for its experimental approach, which combines New wave music, new wave rock music with Concer ...

released the song ''Come fiori'' dedicated to Trollmann. This song was the inspiration for the theathral show ''My Inv(f)erno... gypsy life'' which opened the X edition of the International TeatroLab Festival at the Tagliavini theatre in Novellara in March 2019. In 2016, Dario Fo, recipient of the 1997

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

, published the book ''Razza di zingaro'' based on Trollmann's life.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trollman, Johann 1907 births 1944 deaths German Sinti people People who died in Neuengamme concentration camp Romani sportspeople German people of Romani descent German civilians killed in World War II German people who died in Nazi concentration camps People from Gifhorn (district) People who died in the Romani genocide German male boxers Deaths by beating in Europe German Army personnel of World War II Sportspeople from Lower Saxony