Jürgen Blin

Jürgen Blin (born 7 April 1943) was a German boxer. He is best known for fighting Muhammad Ali on 26 December 1971, being knocked out in the seventh round.

Born in Fehmarn and residing in Hamburg, he represented West Germany. Blin's record in the ring was 30-12-6 with eight knockouts.^[1] He was greatly admired by German boxing fans for his toughness and stamina in the ring. He was briefly heavyweight champion of Germany after beating Gerhard Zech (he had two draws with him previously).

His first professional bout came against Klaus Krüger in October 1964. Blin won this bout, as well as the next five bouts against domestic opponents, and lost his first professional bout in June 1965 to Ray Patterson in Jordal Amfi.^[1]

Blin lost a decision to Joe Bugner in May 1971 when fighting for the European heavyweight title. Blin later won the title in June 1972, his greatest triumph in the ring, when he beat Jose Urtain (who had beaten Blin for the same title in June 1970). However, in October 1972, Blin once again faced Bugner who retained the title by knocking the German in the eighth round.^[1]

The bout against Muhammad Ali happened on 26 December 1971 in Hallenstadion Arena, Zurich. Blin was knocked out 2 minutes and 12 seconds into the seventh round.^[1] In 2002, Blin collaborated with author Stephen Brunt on a book called Facing Ali. He said that fighting Ali was the greatest honour of his life.^{[citation needed]}

Professional boxing record

30 Wins (8 knockouts, 22 decisions), 12 Losses (4 knockouts, 8 decisions), 6 Draws
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	24-1	Ron Lyle	TKO	2	04/10/1973	Denver, Colorado	Referee stopped the bout at 1:01 of the second round.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	0-9	Danny Machado	TKO	7	03/02/1973	Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	39-4-1	Joe Bugner	KO	8	10/10/1972	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London	EBU Heavyweight Title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	39-4-2	Jose Manuel Urtain	PTS	15	09/06/1972	Madrid	EBU Heavyweight Title. 73-68, 72-70, 71-67.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	21-13-1	Charles E. Chase	KO	5	05/05/1972	Hamburg
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	33-1	Muhammad Ali	KO	7	26 December 1971	Hallenstadion, Zurich	Blin knocked out at 2:12 of the seventh round.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	18-20-4	George "Scrap Iron" Johnson	TKO	2	01/10/1971	Hamburg
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	32-2-1	Joe Bugner	SD	15	11/05/1971	Empire Pool, Wembley, London	EBU Heavyweight Title. 69-70, 70-67, 71-73.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	24-14-3	Manuel "Pulgarcito" Ramos	PTS	10	02/04/1971	Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	21-22	Roberto Davila	PTS	10	26 February 1971	Hamburg
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	7-7-2	Vasco Faustino	PTS	8	05/02/1971	Frankfurt, Hesse
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	13-16-3	Charley Polite	PTS	10	02/01/1971	Wiesbaden, Hesse
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	7-6	Sylvester Dullaire	KO	8	17 November 1970	Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	10-7-3	Billy Joiner	PTS	10	09/10/1970	Hamburg
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	30-0	Jose Manuel Urtain	PTS	15	22 June 1970	Barcelona, Catalonia	EBU Heavyweight Title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	23-8-4	Ray Patterson	PTS	10	13 February 1970	Ernst Merck Halle, Mitte, Berlin
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	30-9-6	Wilhelm Von Homburg	PTS	10	12/12/1969	Sporthalle, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	33-9-3	Gerhard Zech	PTS	10	21 November 1969	Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	17-17-3	David E. Bailey	PTS	10	12/09/1969	Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	41-13-5	Giulio Rinaldi	PTS	10	29 May 1969	Grugahalle, Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia
Draw	3-2-1	Macan Keita	PTS	8	29 November 1968	Festhalle Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Hesse
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	20-3-2	Peter Weiland	PTS	10	01/11/1968	Ostseehalle, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein	Germany BDB Heavyweight Title.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	32-6-5	Piero Tomasoni	DQ	2	29 September 1968	Brescia, Lombardy	EBU Heavyweight Title Eliminator.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	33-7-3	Gerhard Zech	PTS	12	11/05/1968	Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg, Berlin	Germany BDB Heavyweight Title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	15-12-3	Lloyd Walford	PTS	8	08/03/1968	Sporthalle, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	22-11-3	Renato Moraes	PTS	10	17 February 1968	Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg, Berlin
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	18-3	Giuseppe Ros	PTS	8	15 December 1967	Sporthalle, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	33-3-3	Piero Del Papa	PTS	10	11/11/1967	Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg, Berlin
Draw	19-11-3	Jose Menno	PTS	8	08/09/1967	Sporthalle, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	16-11-3	Ivan Prebeg	KO	5	28 April 1967	Sporthalle, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
Draw	32-6-2	Gerhard Zech	PTS	12	24 February 1967	Sporthalle, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia	Germany BDB Heavyweight Title.
Draw	32-6-1	Gerhard Zech	PTS	12	18 November 1966	Sporthalle, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia	Germany BDB Heavyweight Title.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	6-0-2	Giulio Saraudi	PTS	8	23 September 1966	Palazzetto dello Sport, Rome, Lazio
Draw	40-9-3	Giulio Rinaldi	PTS	10	02/09/1966	Mungersdorfer Stadion, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	18-15-6	Ossi Buettner	KO	8	15 June 1966	Festhalle Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Hesse
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	6-5-1	Roland Graetz	PTS	6	14 May 1966	Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	10-27-2	Andre Wyns	PTS	6	15 April 1966	Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg
Draw	1-0	Raimo Nisula	PTS	8	18 March 1966	Masshallen, Gothenburg
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	8-8-2	Joseph Juvillier	PTS	8	02/12/1965	Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	46-25-6	Wim Snoek	RTD	6	16 October 1965	Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	10-10-4	Willem Bomber	PTS	6	10/09/1965	Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	10-2	Ray Patterson	PTS	6	21 June 1965	Jordal Amfi, Oslo
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	7-10-2	Valere Mahau	PTS	4	09/04/1965	Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	0-1	Manfred Schlesinger	PTS	6	27 March 1965	Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	3-1	Danilo Zoratti	KO	3	30 January 1965	Stadthalle Bremen, Bremen
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	1-6-1	Friedrich Mayr	KO	1	16 January 1965	Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	1-7	Manfred Ackers	PTS	4	05/12/1964	Sporthalle, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	--	Klaus Krueger	PTS	4	16 October 1964	Sporthalle, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia

References