Former world champion and Universum professional Michael Löwe is dead. He died on Tuesday at the age of 56 in Bucharest.
Another champion is now in heaven: Michael Löwe, former WBO welterweight world champion, succumbed to cancer. He was 56 years old and died on Tuesday in Bucharest. Löwe, whose real name was Mihai Leu, turned professional with the Universum stable in Hamburg in 1991 – together with “Tiger” Dariusz Michalczewski.
“Tiger” and lion in a double pack
Four years earlier, the talented boxer had broken away from the Romanian team at a tournament in Patras, Greece. Löwe came to Germany and joined the amateurs of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen in February 1988. There he met Dariusz Michalczewski, both of whom won several titles with the Bayer squadron. Löwe and “Tiger” finally turned professional together in 1991.
While Michalczewski rose to become a celebrated star at Universum, Löwe always remained in his shadow. The Romanian-born fighter, who was trained by Fritz Sdunek, celebrated a number of triumphs. He won the vacant WBO welterweight title in February 1997 – and became the first professional champion of his home country.
Hanraths: “Like a son to me”
After defending his belt, Löwe (28-0, 10 knockouts) retired undefeated. A year earlier, the welterweight from the Universum stable had suffered head injuries and fractures in a serious traffic accident. Löwe is one of only three European boxers to end their careers as undefeated world champions.
“Michael was like a son to me,” former Universum manager Peter Hanraths told the Bild newspaper. “I’m traveling to Romania on Thursday for the funeral.”
Text: Frank Schwantes