Olympic boxing: Then Nikita has to do it

This could potentially put pressure on sensitive souls if they suddenly find themselves the last remaining participant in their country at a top-class international competition - for Nikita Putilov, this is just “a double incentive”. The 23-year-old athlete in the elite squad of the German Boxing Association (DBV) knows how to deal with stress of this kind “fortunately in a relatively relaxed manner,” as he says of himself.

There are several reasons for this. Firstly, he has always been “the quieter type”. Secondly, he has learned to trust his own, clearly great potential, because “Martial arts are one-on-one, no one can help you directly.” And thirdly, he now has a certain amount of practice in the leading role of “Last Man Standing”.

“Now only Nikita is there” or “Then Putilov”: DBV coaches and supervisors have often used this phrase to record the water level internally when medals were at stake on the big stage. Like last June, when the son of Russian immigrants who grew up in Leipzig won silver at the World Cup in Guiyang, China; it was the only German podium finish.

And who knows whether it won't be the same in Sofia, when 400 boxers fight for the titles in all limits at the European Championships from Thursday. After all, none of the twelve other active members in the German team (eight men, four women) are currently rated as high as the super heavyweight with the impressive physical stature (1.97 meters and around 106 kilograms).

The former swimmer, who was brought into the gym by a friend when he was 14, says he “fell in love with boxing” right from his first training session. He was almost fully grown back then and gradually gained some weight.

Today he moves in the ring with striking suppleness and astonishing speed: a powerful counterattack boxer who trainer David Hoppstock has patiently taught the necessary finesse. The European Championship titles for juniors, U19 and U22 as well as the German championship for seniors (2024) confirmed that an exceptional talent is developing.

Furthermore, there must be a reason why Humberto Horta Dominguez studies the youngster so intensively at the central base in Heidelberg - which implies that he also corrects him more meticulously than others. The head coach from Cuba, who was hired at the beginning of the year, has apparently identified Putilov as one of the greatest hopes for the 2028 Olympic tournament in Los Angeles. Since then, hardly a week has passed without new suggestions with which the small, energetic man wants to make his protégé even more agile, i.e. a little more Caribbean.

Prestige may also play a role: in which weight class did maximum success count as much as in the top, where George Foreman, Teófilo Stevenson and Lennox Lewis founded their legendary careers?

The high level of attention is good for Putilov. He initially fell into a hole when the decision-makers in the association nominated the slightly older Nelvie Tiafack from Cologne for the 2024 Olympics in Paris instead of him - and got bronze back for it. Afterwards, for six months, he “didn’t really feel like boxing, the goal was missing.”

But with the new, highly decorated head coach and the centralized structure, fresh impulses have just been given. “There has been a good leap forward since then,” says Putilov. And: "You have a certain level of trust because he has already developed so many successful athletes. Maybe you will be the next..."

Putilov is not yet the dominator among the seniors that all competitors orientate themselves towards. This aura currently applies more to the Kazakh Aibek Oralbay, who is three years older than him and who defeated him again in the final of the World Cup in China. But everyone could see that the gap between the competitors had narrowed. The fire brigade trainee can draw from this some confirmation for his medal dreams, in Sofia as well as in Los Angeles, and the timetable doesn't go any further for the time being. Even if some promoters have already invited him to professional boxing evenings in vain in order to do business with him at some point.

Nice attempts, the man he is courting says between two training sessions at the base in Heidelberg. “But for me it’s the Olympics first, and depending on what avenues that opens up for me, I can still decide.” Nikita Putilov likes to stay calm.