The national coaches Gunnar Berg, Ralf Dickert and Valentin Silaghi were honored for their many years of successful work in the German Boxing Association (DBV).
It was a special appearance for three long-standing DBV coaches as part of the 101. German Elite Championships in the SWH Arena in Halle/Saale: Ralf Dickert, Gunnar Berg and Valentin Silaghi were to be thanked for their decades of work in Olympic boxing.
That’s why the trio of coaches from the German Boxing Association (DBV) were not ordered to the blue or red corner before the second part of the finals, but to the center of the ring and presented with certificates and roaring applause. Quite rightly so, as three coaches who have been instrumental in preparing many a German success at international level have been recommended for retirement – with a steady hand and a lot of heart.
From London via Tokyo to Paris
Ralf Dickert (born 1958) concludes a 41-year career as a boxing coach, during which he worked for SC Dynamo Berlin, the Berlin Boxing Association (state coach) and the DBV (national coach). He repeatedly developed top athletes and took them to three Olympic tournaments – from London 2012 (Stefan Härtel) to Tokyo 2021 (Hamsat Shadalov) and Paris 2024 (Omid Ahmadisafa, Refugee Team). He has coped brilliantly with the diverse backgrounds of his eleven players, because as his credo says: “You always have to respond to the individual.”
Mountain back home
Gunnar Berg (born in 1960) was lured across the Danish border a good nine years ago to bring his high level of expertise to the national coaching team. He has played a major role in the development of Silvio Schierle, Richard Meinecke, Assan and Oussainou Hansen, Leonie Müller and others. The internationally networked coach with his enigmatic sense of humor wants to remain involved in youth development work at home in Aarhus for a while longer. However, he wants to reduce his workload, because “there is a time as a boxer and there is a time as a coach. Both are not infinite”.
Silaghi in double function
In principle, Valentin Silaghi (born 1957) already has both phases behind him. The well-traveled Transylvanian won bronze at the 1979 European Championships in Cologne and a year later at the Summer Games in Moscow (middleweight) in the Romanian jersey. He obtained his coaching diploma in Germany in 1988 and worked at two training bases (Heidelberg and Hanover) and in the professional field until a year ago. It was only at the championships in Halle/Saale that he had the opportunity to pay tribute to his tireless work for the DBV.
Text: Press release / German Boxing Association
Now in BOXSPORT 06/25:
Shields, Taylor, Serrano & Co. – who are the best “Pound for Pound“? And where does the German undisputed champion Tina Rupprecht stand in the ultimate ranking? Plus: 25-year-old Devrim Gökduman has fought his way to the top of the national lightweight rankings. Plus: Junto Nakatani was long overshadowed by P4P superstar Inoue – Japan’s quiet boxing sensation now has a place in the limelight himself. And: BOXSPORT on the steep rise of the Fundora siblings. Plus lots of stories, analysis, rankings, fight reports and much more.