Juozas Vinča (27 November 1905, in Šiauliai – 29 August 1990, in Boston, MA) was a

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

who competed at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

, representing Lithuania. Vinča started his sport career in 1925 with weightlifting, but Steponas Darius persuaded him to switch to boxing. By 1926, Vinča had become Lithuanian champion. In 1927 and 1928, he became the Baltic champion when he defeated boxers from Latvia, Estonia, and

East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...

. In the 1928 Olympics, he was eliminated in the second round of the light heavyweight class after losing his fight to

Don McCorkindale Donald Dinnie McCorkindale (16 August 1904 – 11 August 1970) was a South African boxer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics. He fought as Don McCorkindale. Biography He was born in Pretoria, Transvaal Colony and died in Edenvale, Gua ...

. That was the best result for Lithuania, which was competing in the Olympics for the first time. His achievement helped to popularize boxing among Lithuanian youth. After the Olympics, Vinča became a professional boxer. He moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, where he was managed by the men who also managed

Jack Sharkey Jack Sharkey (born Joseph Paul Zukauskas, lt, Juozas Povilas Žukauskas, October 26, 1902 – August 17, 1994) was a Lithuanian-American world heavyweight boxing champion. Boxing career He took his ring name from his two idols, heavyweight ...

. In 1931, he injured his wrist and returned to Lithuania. In 1932, he attempted to restart his career in France, but the injury renewed. He then took up wrestling and competed in England and France. When he retired, Vinča served with the Lithuanian police in Klaipėda (1934–1938). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he retreated to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and from there to the United States. He competed in American wrestling competitions until 1954.

External links

References

1905 births 1990 deaths Light-heavyweight boxers Olympic boxers for Lithuania Boxers at the 1928 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Šiauliai People from Kovno Governorate Lithuanian emigrants to the United States Lithuanian male boxers {{Lithuania-boxing-bio-stub