The boxer and the poet

10th February 2012

Heavyweight boxer Andrzej Golota took up the pen this week to bid farewell to possibly his biggest fan, Nobel prize-winning poet Wislawa Szymborska. “I’m going to miss you in my corner, though you never set foot in the ring. The poems will remain. ‘Thankyou’ is too small a thing...” Golota wrote, admitting he was helped by his wife in writing his paean to the recently deceased poet. Unable to attend Friday’s funeral in Krakow, Golota will send a wreath of 89 white roses - one for each year the poet lived.

Szymborska adored the heavyweight and reportedly never missed a fight, suffering the frequent dramatic losses along with the pugilist. She also followed him when he participated in “Dancing with the Stars” [Poland’s equivalent to Strictly Come Dancing]. The two met only once, when they both ate at the same restaurant. Szymborska recalled that the presence of the boxer created a sensation, while nobody noticed her.