Juozas Vinča (27 November 1905, in

Šiauliai Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...

– 29 August 1990, in

Boston, MA Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

) was a

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

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 (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

, representing Lithuania. Vinča started his sport career in 1925 with weightlifting, but

Steponas Darius Steponas Darius (known as Stephen Darius in the US; born Steponas Jucevičius-Darašius; January 8, 1896 – July 17, 1933) was a Lithuanian American aviator, pilot, who died in a non-stop flight attempt in the ''Lituanica'' from New York City t ...

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 was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

. 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, Trans ...

. That was the best result for Lithuania, which was competing in the Olympics for the second 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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where he was managed by the men who also managed

Jack Sharkey Jack Sharkey (born Joseph Paul Zukauskas, , October 26, 1902 – August 17, 1994) was a Lithuanian-American boxer who held the NYSAC, NBA, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles from 1932 to 1933. Boxing career He took his ring name from his ...

. 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 Klaipėda ( ; ) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. It is the List of cities in Lithuania, third-largest city in Lithuania, the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, fifth-largest city in the Baltic States, and the capi ...

(1934–1938). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he retreated to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

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 refugees in the United States Lithuanian male boxers {{Lithuania-boxing-bio-stub