Tuesday 4 December 2018 16:30, UK
Former WBC super-middleweight world champion Markus Beyer has died at the age of 47.
Reports in Germany say Beyer passed away in a Berlin hospital on Monday after a short and severe illness.
As an amateur, Beyer boxed in two Olympic Games and won a bronze medal at the 1995 World Championships before turning professional the following year.
'Boom Boom', as he was known, won the first of his three WBC world titles in 1999, dethroning Richie Woodhall at the Telford Ice Rink to become super-middleweight champion, but lost the belt to Glenn Catley in his second defence.
In 2003, the German southpaw beat Eric Lucas to win back his old belt and once again reclaimed his belt when immediately avenging a defeat to Christian Sanavia.
In his final few fights, Beyer drew with Sakio Bika before falling to a unification defeat to Mikkel Kessler, ending his career with a record of 35-3-1-KO13.
"I cannot describe my feelings with words," said Ulli Wegner, Beyer's former coach. "Everybody knows that he was my favourite athlete, and that he had, above all, a human component.
"Markus Beyer was a thoroughly fine human being. At the moment I feel like someone hit me in the gut. I have to process all that first."
