A MAGNIFICENT amateur boxer, Hungary's Papp won three consecutive Olympic gold medals (1948, 1952 and 1956, beating Jose Torres in '56). While professional boxing was outlawed in Hungary, Papp nevertheless turned pro in 1957 and set up camp in Vienna.
Although 31 years old, Papp quickly made his mark felt on the middleweight division. Despite brittle bones in his hands, the southpaw Papp carried great power in his left hook. He scored two wins over Peter Mueller in 1961 and following a win over veteran Ralph (Tiger) Jones, Papp KO'd Chris Christensen to win the European middleweight title on May 16, 1962.
He successfully defended the title six times over the next three years and scored a non-title win over American Randy Sandy, who was a solid pro and former national amateur champion.
Papp was on the verge of a world middleweight title shot when the Hungarian government revoked his permit to travel abroad, thus ending his pro career.
Born: Mar. 25, 1926
Died: Oct. 16, 2003
Bouts: 29
Won: 27
Lost: 0
Draw: 2
KOs: 15
Induction: 2001
Laszlo Papp
