Former Polish boxer writes poem to Nobel laureate poetess

Feb 8, 2012, 14:27 GMT

Warsaw - Retired Polish boxer Andrzej Golota has written a poem to honour late Nobel-prizewinning poet Wyslawa Szymborska, who had a years-long fascination with the heavyweight champion, local media reported Wednesday.

'I will miss you in my corner / even though you never stepped into the ring,' Golota wrote in tribute to Szymborska, who died last week in Krakow.

Golota will also send 89 white roses to Szymborska's funeral Thursday - one rose for each year of her life. The boxer lives in the United States and would not be attending the ceremony, local media reported.

Szymborska, who won the 1996 Nobel prize for literature, had a long-standing fascination with the boxer, and reportedly met him once in a restaurant. She joked that Golota had caused a sensation in the eatery, while her presence went unnoticed.

Szymborska reportedly never missed a Golota match, and started watching the Polish version of Dancing with the Stars after Golota joined the competition.

Golota is a four-time world heavyweight title challenger and won a bronze medal at the 1988 Olympic Games.