Henryk Średnicki: Poland’s World Flyweight Champion
Henryk Średnicki (January 17, 1955–April 10, 2016) was a Polish amateur boxer from Siemianowice Śląskie. He won gold in the 51 kg flyweight division at the 1978 AIBA World Boxing Championships in Belgrade, becoming Poland’s first men’s amateur world boxing champion.
World champion in Belgrade
At the 1978 world championships, Średnicki won the final against Cuba’s Héctor Ramírez to take the flyweight gold. The Polish Boxing Association’s results list Średnicki as champion at 51 kg. The Olympedia profile records the title and his international career.
Two Olympic appearances
Średnicki represented Poland at the 1976 Montreal and 1980 Moscow Olympics. Olympedia records him equal ninth in the light-flyweight tournament in 1976 and equal fifth at flyweight in 1980.
He also won European Championship gold in 1977 and 1979, in boxing’s lighter weight classes. At home, he became Polish national champion six times and won the Feliks Stamm Tournament three times. After competing, he worked as a coach; Olympedia identifies Łukasz Maszczyk among his pupils.
Średnicki died in 2016, aged 61. The Polish Press Agency report noted his place as the country’s first amateur world boxing champion.
Sources
Sources: Olympedia: Henryk Średnicki; Polish Olympic Committee; Polish Boxing Association, 1978 World Championships; Polish Press Agency.
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
