ACOG - News - IBM

(1 August 1996; Day 13)

Tongan Boxer Makes History

Tongan boxer Paea WOLFGRAMM came into the Olympic Games with no expectations, but will leave here with no less than a bronze medal, making him the first Togan athlete ever to win an Olympic medal.

When WOLFGRAMM started training three months ago, he weighed 350 pounds. After running for weeks in the heat of the Arizona desert, WOLFGRAMM said he was down to about 310 last week. "I hope to be below 300 before I fight,'" he said with very little conviction.

WOLFGRAMM stands at 6-foot-4, which ranks at the short end in his class. He only fought 11 international fights in the past five years and that places him at the lower end of the experience scale as well. But he does not let any of these things discourage him. He is motivated by the simple fact that no one expected him to get this far. Now, he is not only an Olympian, but also an Olympic medalist.

WOLFGRAMM was born in Tonga but moved with his family to Auckland, New Zealand when he was three years old. He played the popular sport of his country, rugby, and became good enough to compete in Auckland's senior division. About seven years ago, he suffered a broken shoulder and was told by doctors that the bone needed two years to heal sufficiently. That is when his weight really increased.

"I probably gained 50 or 60 pounds," said WOLFGRAMM. "That's when I decided to try boxing, I always liked it."

At that time, WOLFGRAMM met with Tony FULILANGI, another Tongan native who fought as a pro (his last bout was against George FOREMAN in 1989). He now divides his time between Auckland and Phoenix. FULILANGI, WOLFGRAMM's cousin, taught WOLFGRAMM the boxing basics, and helped progress enough to win the Oceania Boxing Championships in 1995 and 1996 to earn a spot in the Olympic Games.

"The fact I got this far is not totally surprising to me," said WOLFGRAMM, a 26-year-old father of three. "Now, if I win the Olympics, that would be surprising."

Wednesday night, WOLFGRAMM advanced to the semifinals by defeating Rubalcaba ALEXIS of Cuba in a huge upset. The 300+ pound Tongan defeated the Cuban 17-12, leading his attack with a killer left hook and even knocking down the Cuban in the second round. With the win, WOLFGRAMM is assured at least a bronze medal and will meet Duncan DOKIWARI from Nigeria in the semifinals on 2 August at 20:00.

Upon beating the Cuban WOLFGRAMM said, "A victory over a Cuban is an achievement for me -- darn near a gold medal for me. Cubans are at the pinnacle of boxing."

WOLFGRAMM didn't feel alone when he stepped into the ring,. He had the support of not only his country, which declared a national fasting day for good luck, but by the second round, he had the Alexander Memorial Coliseum crowd chanting "TONGA!" The king of Tonga, Taufa AHAU, even sent WOLFGRAMM a fax wishing him good luck.

The future for WOLFGRAMM appears bright at the moment, and after Thursday night, his hopes for becoming professional are becoming a reality.

"Lou DUVA walked up like he had known me for ten years -- started calling me his boy. I have never met him before in my life!" said WOLFGRAMM.

WOLFGRAMM says that even though last night was a great achievement, he is not finished. "I planned to win the gold," he said. "If you don't come here to win you might as well be a tourist."

When asked what would happen if he won the gold medal, he jokingly said, "If I win the gold medal, the coach will die and maybe the king will give me half of Tonga."

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Shilpa Bakre.


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