Boxing Heavyweight Sinan Samil Sam Passes at age 41

By Peter Silkov

The Boxing Glove is sad to report that the former European Heavyweight Champion, Sinan Samil Sam, is reported to have passed away Tuesday, October 20, 2015, in Istanbul of liver failure. Sam was being treated at the Marmara University Pendik Training Research Hospital in Istanbul, and was on the waiting list for a liver transplant.

During his boxing career, Sam was a strong and durable fighter who was always in entertaining fights because of his aggressive, pressing, style. Nicknamed the ‘Bull from Bospoous,’ he was born in Frankfurt, Germany, on June 23, 1974, to Turkish parents. After an amateur career, which saw him win the Junior World championship at light-heavyweight in 1992, and the World championship at Super-Heavyweight in 1999, Sam turned professional in 2000, and in the course of his professional career would fight some of the best heavyweights in the world.

Sam was technically solid and very rugged, with a good punch and an excellent chin. In the course of his 8 year professional career, Sam would win the European heavyweight title twice, and also hold the WBC International and WBC Mediterranean titles.

In what was probably his most impressive performance, Sam stopped the usually very durable Danny Williams in 6 rounds on February 8, 2003, in defence of his European title, which he had won 4 months earlier.

Sam’s main problem during his professional career seemed to be that he wasn’t always in top condition physically, with his weight fluctuating from 230 to over 250 pounds. There's little doubt with his pressure fighting style, that he was a better fighter when he was lighter. Yet, whatever his conditioning going into a fight Sam always gave his all once he got into the ring. Sam showed his heart in his 2005 defeat to Oleg Maskaev, when he managed to last the distance, despite suffering a broken jaw in the 2nd round.

Sam fought heavyweights such as Premyslaw Saleta, Danny Williams, Juan Carlos Gomez, Luan Krasniqi, Denis Bakhtov, Lawrence Clay Bey, Oleg Maskaev, Oliver McCall and Paolo Vidoz.
Ironically Sam never got to fight for a world title, though many less qualified heavyweights have received title shots. Sam’s last chance at a world title shot was lost on June 16, 2007, when he was out-pointed by a 42 year old Oliver McCall, losing his WBC International Heavyweight title.

Sam would win his final 4 contests, with his last fight taking place on July 4, 2008, when he regained the European Heavyweight title by outpointing Paolo Vidoz. Sam never fought again. His final record was 31(16koes)-4.

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com