Andrzej Gmitruk, one of the greatest Polish boxing trainers in history, died early Tuesday morning. He was 67. Numerous sources have reported that Gmitruk perished in a house fire at his residence in Hipolitow, Poland. The trainer was alone when his body was discovered in the early morning hours. An autopsy has been scheduled for Wednesday. Undeniably, Polish Boxing has suffered a huge, irreplaceable loss. Gmitruk was a big deal in Poland. A heralded coach with vast knowledge and expertise on the fight game. A living legend. Gmitruk was the architect of success for some of the biggest talents in Poland’s boxing history, including local heavyweight legend Andrew Golota as well as former two-division champion Tomasz Adamek. Under the tutelage of his namesake, Golota captured Olympic bronze, in Seoul, South Korea. Gmitruk’s death was hard to believe among many in boxing circles, including myself, as just ten days earlier he was seen screaming at Artur Szpilka while working the corner for “The Pin’s” victorious – but near disastrous showing – against fellow countryman Mariusz Wach. Gmitruk has also worked with such notable fighters as Mateusz Masternak, Izu Ugonoh, and Maciej Sulecki. Not to mention, the trainer served as a color commentator on much of Poland’s flagship boxing programming. My heart goes out to Gmitrulk’s family, friends and the entire Polish Boxing community.
Oh wow. Sad to learn that. I actually got to meet him a few times when he was training Adamek in north Jersey. Very nice guy.
