Penetrating gaze, well-trained body: René Weller at his best as a boxer in 1982 Photo: dpa
The “beautiful René” was known for his dazzling performances, but he also breathed new life into his sport. Former European boxing champion René Weller has now succumbed to a long illness.
“Hey, you know me, I’m René / Even after the fight, my face is okay”: This is how the rap of an unmistakable boxer begins, who sang about himself forty years ago – after he had just become European champion of professionals. René Theo Weller just didn’t want to wait for others to single him out. There would probably have been enough laudators. After all, he had breathed new life into a half-forgotten sport. In that unmistakable manner that knew neither questions of style nor boredom.
Acting not necessarily harder, but more cleverly than the opponent, taking your head away and then finding the gap: With this smooth style, the trained heating engineer and goldsmith advanced to become one of the most successful amateur boxers in Germany in the 1970s.
