The Descent to Bahnhofstraße
Nee, erst mal geht’s in den Untergrund,
said Maurice Milcke, describing the steep descent into his training headquarters.
Ten stairs lead down to a heavy gray metal door in the cellar of a postwar building on Bahnhofstraße in Berlin-Köpenick, jungewelt.de reported. Behind the door lies the Boxgym Coepenick, where Milcke begins his workday shortly before eight in the morning while a misty drizzle hangs over the streets.
Generations lie between him and former champion Arthur Abraham, and GBC titleholder Maurice Milcke still moves under the radar of the broader public. While many are only just on their way to work, the workday is already underway for the professional boxer, who unlocks the door with a key code and a key as the smell of sweat drifts through the first gap.
Road to the Thirteenth Bout
Milcke swaps his sneakers for boxing boots, wraps his hands, and steps through the ropes into the flat ring with its blue and red floor mats. The 23-year-old fighter is preparing for his 13th professional bout, scheduled for November 14 against English opponent Les Byfield in Eberswalde, jungewelt.de reported.
His first training session begins with coach Zapir Rasulov, involving jump rope, shadowboxing, mitt work, and the heavy bag, with the bone-breaking labor now behind him as he focuses on timing, precision, and cutting the last grams of weight after lifting his black T-shirt to check a narrow fold of skin above his hip.
The matchup serves as another buildup fight in the super-middleweight division up to 75.2 kilograms. Milcke carries a record of 12 professional victories without a defeat, a streak he intends to maintain against Byfield.
Resilience Forged in Paraguay
The fighter’s career has not been entirely straightforward, as he faced a crisis within his first year in the professional ranks marked by physical fatigue and unexpected sparring losses that made him consider quitting, jungewelt.de reported. He changed direction during August and September, when he spent a month and a half training at the Centro Artes Marciales in Paraguay.
Operating under temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius and high humidity, Milcke engaged in grueling regimens that included runs exceeding 30 kilometers every third day starting before sunrise. Under the gym’s strict no mercy
approach, the intense weeks significantly advanced his technical, tactical, physical, and mental capabilities.
Milcke Holds a World Championship Belt and Plans Future Bouts
Milcke currently holds a world championship belt in the middleweight division from the Global Boxing Council, a relatively small organization, jungewelt.de reported. Nationally, he ranks among the top ten in his weight class, while internationally he is working toward the top 100.
Outside the ring, Milcke is a father who sees his son several times a week following a separation from the boy’s mother. Looking ahead to the coming year, he has bouts planned for March and September against opponents with similar ambitions rather than traditional buildup fighters.
Milcke Trains with Coach Rasulov Amidst Daily Team Clashes
Those who work together almost every day inevitably clash at some point, and Milcke pauses his daily routine of brief respouts and updating his virtual channels with new training motifs to joke about their dynamic. I always listen to my trainer,
Milcke grins, while Rasulov chuckles and notes that he occasionally has to scold his overmotivated charge to slow him down.
Coach Rasulov watches every movement from the ring post, directing combinations over four three-minute rounds before Milcke moves to the heavy bag, where the chains rattle and scrape against the steel bracket on the concrete pillar as he lands powerful combinations.
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