April 22, 1995 is a date I still remember vividly, because on that day—or rather that night, German time—a young German boxer, still largely unknown at the time, aimed to make boxing history in Las Vegas, following in the footsteps of Max Schmeling. Heavyweight boxer Axel Schulz, who had originally been picked as an easy stepping stone for George Foreman, was expected to be a walk in the park for Foreman’s first voluntary defense of his WBA and IBF titles. But that assumption turned out to be wrong. Axel proved to be a strong opponent, lasting all 12 rounds and even staggering Foreman multiple times with his punches during the fight.
Despite a clear lead on points for Axel, he lost the match, handing Foreman a dishonorable and implausible victory. From that night on, Axel became instantly famous across Germany and was celebrated upon his return as the people’s true world champion.
At the end of November, I had the opportunity to meet Axel Schulz in person at a party in Berlin, held to celebrate the release of the 2013 Lambertz annual calendar. Since he had run out of business cards, he gave me his private mobile number without batting an eye.
As I had already planned to fly back to Berlin in mid-January for Fashion Week, I got in touch with Axel via text message to discuss the possibility of doing an interview. I quickly received a reply: it would work on Saturday, January 19th, 2013, at 4 p.m. at the Van der Valk Hotel in Blankenfelde-Mahlow. It’s worth mentioning that this location is about 28 kilometers south of Berlin – a bit tricky to reach without a car.
And this is where I have to say: Axel is a fantastic guy. When I told him that it wouldn’t be easy for me to get there, he immediately replied that it wouldn’t be a problem at all – he’d send a driver to my hotel to pick me up and take me back after the interview. And that’s exactly what happened. Simply amazing! Others might have said it’s my problem how I get there, since I’m the one who wants the interview.
But now, enjoy the interview with Axel Schulz!
