Juozas Vinča

Who was Juozas Vinča?

Juozas Vinča was a Lithuanian boxer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics, representing Lithuania.

Vinča started his sport career in 1925 with weightlifting, but Steponas Darius persuaded him to switch to boxing. By 1926 Vinča had become Lithuanian champion. In 1927 and 1928 he became the Baltic champion when he defeated boxers from Latvia, Estonia, and East Prussia.

In the 1928 Olympics he was eliminated in the second round of the light heavyweight class after losing his fight to Don McCorkindale. That was the best result for Lithuania, which was competing in the Olympics for the first time. His achievement helped to popularize boxing among Lithuanian youth.

After the Olympics Vinča became a professional boxer. He moved to the United States, where he was managed by the men who also managed Jack Sharkey. In 1931 he injured his wrist and returned to Lithuania. In 1932 he attempted to restart his career in France, but the injury renewed. He them took up wrestling and competed in England and France. When he retired, Vinča served with Lithuanian police in Klaipėda. During World War II he retreated to Germany and from there to the United States. Until 1954 he competed in American wrestling competitions.