Johann Wilhelm Trollman, nicknamed "Gypsy Trollman", is a boxer of Gypsy origin who was born in Germany. He became the national light heavyweight champion in 1933. He died in 1943 in the Neuenngamme concentration camp.
Johann became famous in the late 1920s. Excellent sports data, an unusual way of fighting, which was nicknamed "the Trollman dance", charismatic appearance and the ability to attract attention, especially women - all this quickly made him popular and famous.
Biography facts
Johann was born in Germany in the winter of 1907 in a gypsy family, where he received the nickname Rukeli.
In his teenage years, he became interested in sports, eventually giving preference to boxing. The boy started attending a sports school and quickly achieved excellent results. It was distinguished by a peculiar way of fighting, which was later called the "Trollman dance".
The young man could dodge any blows, literally dancing in the ring, while his hands were always slightly below the waist, which misled his opponents. He seemed not going to defend himself, but at the same time almost no blow could reach him.
Many said that the boy was a wonderful actor and transferred all his acting talent to the ring, making a real show out of the battle.
When Johann was 22 years old, he switched from amateur to professional sports. He decided to continue training in Hannover, where he soon moved.
Sports career
Over the course of several years, Trollman fought about 50 fights, most of which he won. He usually fought in the middleweight division, but had several fights in the light heavyweight division. The boxer quickly gained popularity among the audience and became a real star in the ring.
But in the early 1930s, sentiment in Germany began to shift. For the athlete, who was born into a gypsy family, difficult times have come. But he still performed in the ring, won victories and was going to speak at the German championship. Shortly before the start of the competition, he was hinted that even if he won, he would not receive the champion title because of his nationality.
But Johann ignored the warning and entered the ring. Before the seventh round, it became clear that Trollman's opponent was losing. Then G. Radamm, who at that time was the chairman of the fist fighters, decides to end the fight, declaring a draw. Spectators and fans were outraged and demanded to continue the fight or to recognize Johann's victory. Radammu had to concede and declare the champion of Trollman.
At the presentation of the award, Johann cried with joy, but a few days later the boxer received an official notification that he was deprived of the champion title. The letter stated that the German athlete cannot cry, and also that the strange jumps in the ring are not boxing.
It was decided to fight for the champion title again. And again, Trollman applies for participation. He is given permission, but with one condition: he must not "dance" in the ring. An opponent named Gustav Eder was put up against the boxer, who had a terrible blow. The organizers decided in this way to turn the fight into an ordinary beating of an athlete, whose fault was only that he was a gypsy.
Johann came to the battle in an unusual manner. His hair was literally burned out by hydrogen peroxide, and his face was covered with a thick layer of white powder. It was a kind of caricature of the "true Aryans", to whom Trollman had nothing to do in his life.
The boxer practically did not resist. He stood in the ring, legs wide apart, and only occasionally reflected the most terrible blows. He gazed into the eyes of his opponent, making him nervous, making mistakes and at the same time hitting harder and harder. Johann stood for 5 rounds and fell into the ring when he could hardly see or feel anything.
last years of life
In the mid-1930s, Trollman continued to participate in battles only in order to somehow provide for his family. Victories were out of the question, because before each fight people would come up to him and warn him that if he started winning, his family would suffer. Johann divorced his beloved wife. The husband somehow wanted to protect her from possible consequences. The wife and her daughter left Germany, taking their maiden name.
In 1939, the athlete was drafted into the German army. A year before being drafted, he was sterilized along with other Roma representatives.
After 2 years, Trollmann was demobilized due to injury and immediately sent to the Neuenngamme camp, where his family was already. In the camp he was forced to fight with the SS. But he had practically no strength. The athlete was constantly beaten to a pulp, and as a result, in 1943, having lost interest in him, he was shot. The death certificate stated that Trollman died of circulatory problems. At that time he was only 35 years old.
Only in 2003 in Germany was it decided to return the 1933 boxing champion title to Johann Trollmann.
