Final Tribute: WBC
Vice-President Edmund Lipinski of Russia
By WBC
March 21, 2009
(MAR 21) On behalf of the World Boxing
Council’s Board of Governors, I announce with the deepest regret and
sadness the passing away of WBC Vice-President Edmund Lipinski of
Russia, in Stuttgart, Germany, where he was the co-representative of the
WBC for the heavyweight world championship fight between champion Vitali
Klitschko and challenger Juan Carlos Gomez.
In addition to his position as WBC
Vice-President, Mr. Lipinski was the Deputy General Director of the
Moscow City Sports Bureau and the president of the Independent and
Slovenian Boxing Bureau, as well as one of the most respected boxing
personalities in the countries of the former Soviet Union.
He received the WBC Lifetime Achievement award in 2005. In 1959 he was
conferred the title, “Master of Sports of the USSR.” In 1973 he received
the award, “The Honor Coach of Russia,” and he was the chairman of the
Russia Boxing Federation until 1987, the year that the institution
joined the World Boxing Council.
It was during his tenure that Russia crowned Yuri Arbachakov as its
first ever champion of the world on July 23,1992. Konstantin Tszyu was
the second, with many others to come later.
Mr. Lipinski was one of the most solid pillars of the WBC and one who
was known as a discreet, mature gentleman, a man of loyalty and devotion
to his boxing principles and a permanent and unwavering love for his
sport of boxing, his native country, Russia, and for the WBC, and he
will be always remembered by the many friends that he made during his
exemplary life.
He was a very good man, the best of friends. He never insulted,
offended, or talked bad about anybody, ever. He was the most loyal man
that you could imagine, and was always trying to be of service.
