Wilhelm Von Homburg
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm von Homburg was a German
wrestler, boxer
, and film actor
most noted for his portrayal of Vigo the Carpathian in the 1989 film Ghostbusters II
.
. In 1940, as Allied forces air raids took over Berlin, his family chose to live in West Germany
. Over time, Homburg developed a muscular body, and his father Richard, who was a baker by profession, introduced him to wrestling
. Homburg and his family moved to the United States
in the 1950s, and he and his father fought across the states on some wrestling associations. It was in the U.S. where he dropped his real name Norbert Grupe for marketing reasons, due to his last name being pronounced "Groupie" and took the name "Wilhelm von Homburg".
During his stint as a wrestler, Homburg was enticed to his bad guy character. He became interested in boxing after Emile Griffith
's fateful third bout with Benny Paret
. Homburg made his professional boxing debut on July 20, 1962, drawing (tying) over four rounds with Sam Wyatt in Los Angeles
. Over the span of eight years, he had 46 bouts with 29 wins in the light heavyweight and heavy weight classes.
around himself in a similar manner later adopted by British boxer Prince Naseem Hamed
.
Homburg's first boxing victory came on September 16, 1962, when he knocked out
Bob Brown in the third round at San Diego
. On October 25, he lost for the first time, being knocked out in round three by Freeman Harding in the third round at Los Angeles. Eight victories followed, including two over Clifford Gray, before he drew against Tommy Merrill, June 1, 1963, in Las Vegas
. Homburg won three of his next five fights, then returned home with a record of 17-3-2. He settled in the city of Hamburg and was managed by Willi Zeller in Germany. Homburg held his German professional boxing debut on May 8, 1964, when he was held to a ten round draw by Ulli Ritter. However, he went on to win seven of his next ten bouts, being described by German press at the time as a "promising newcomer" and using his fight earnings to move to the Hamburg neighborhood of St. Pauli
. During this period he and his lifelong friend, Texas
heavyweight fighter, Buddy Turman
shared billing on several occasions in Germany and Austria, until Turman's retirement in 1967.
Homburg got his first championship try on November 19, 1966, when he contested Piero del Papa for the EBU regional Light Heavyweight title in Berlin. Homburg was defeated by an eleventh round disqualification against Del Papa, who later lost by a first round knockout to Vicente Rondon
in a challenge for the WBA
World Light Heavyweight title.
For his part, Homburg returned to winning on December 9, only three weeks after his defeat against Del Papa, knocking out Archie McBride in nine rounds at Frankfurt
. After winning three more fights, losing one and drawing one, he faced the well respected Gerard Zech, who sported a 33-8-3 record, in an eliminator for the German Light Heavyweight championship. That fight was held on November 8, 1968. Initially declared a loser by a ten round decision, Homburg nevertheless had his hands raised as winner of the contest when it was discovered that the referee, who also acted as official judge, had made a mathematical mistake when he tabulated his scorecard after the bout had finished, and he actually had Homburg, not Zech, as the fight's winner.
Homburg next faced Guido Rinaldi, who lost a fifteen round decision to Archie Moore
for the world Light Heavyweight title, three times in 1969, beating him in their first fight by a fifth round knockout, losing a ten round decision and winning their third clash, by an eighth round knockout. The latter would turn to be his last victory.
Homburg went on boxing, but he lost his next four fights, including defeats at the hands of Oscar Bonavena
and Jürgen Blin
. On December 11, 1970, he held his last fight, losing by a ten round decision to Rudiger Schmidtke in Cologne. Homburg retired from boxing with a record of 29 wins, 11 losses and 6 draws in 46 bouts, with 24 wins coming by knockout.
. The following year he appeared in another war film, Torn Curtain
, with Paul Newman
where he also had a small part.
After being defeated in the boxing ring by Oscar Bonavena in 1969, Homburg made an appearance on German TV the next day. After the reporter Rainer Günzler had made some snide remarks about his boxing career and his flamboyant lifestyle, Homburg sat through the 10 minute live interview not answering any of Günzler's questions, only putting on a sarcastic smile that can be later seen in 1989 film Ghostbusters II
.
Homburg appeared in a number of films up to the 1980s with only small roles in films like The Wrecking Crew
with Sharon Tate
and Dean Martin
, where Homburg plays the character Gregor. He appeared as a villainous pimp in Werner Herzog's 1977 film "Stroszek". After 1977, Homburg's career in movies went into hiatus when he was sentenced for two years and three months in jail for "physical injury" (possibly assault) and "activities in prostitution". It has been reported that Homburg has spent about five years behind bars in his life. In 1988 Homburg made his big screen return in the action thriller Die Hard
with Alan Rickman
and Andreas Wisniewski. Homburg plays James, a member of the German terrorist group that plans to rob the Nakatomi Tower, meeting his demise courtesy of a DIY bomb from John McClane (Bruce Willis
). From there, Homburg appeared in the 1989 movie blockbuster sequel Ghostbusters II where he plays Vigo the Carpathian, a 17th Century Eastern European tyrant (based loosely on Vlad Ţepeş
), the role for which Homburg is probably most well known and recognised (though he was dubbed by Max von Sydow
). After Ghostbusters II, Homburg appeared in a handful of films up to 1994, when he appeared in John Carpenter
's In the Mouth of Madness
playing Simon.
Homburg also appeared as Charles Diggs in Diggstown
(1992) alongside James Woods
. The movie centers around his character, Charles Diggs, who is a boxer that can't speak due to brain damage acquired in a fight.
Homburg was at various times nicknamed "the boxer Beatle
" (because of the long hair he sported during his fights) and "the German answer to Muhammad Ali
" (because of his takes on 1960s issues such as music and other topics). His smoking habit was widely known; he entered rings with a cigar in his mouth many times, and smoking is unusual for professional boxers. Many German youths began to imitate his acts.
Homburg was a rebellious person, and he moved to St. Pauli's red district, becoming involved with drugs and sex
. Homburg was constantly followed by papparazzi, who documented his life hanging out with drug dealers, pimp
s, and a local Hells Angels
chapter.
Homburg was accused of a number of crimes, such as extortion
, pimping and drug dealing. He spent five years in jail, and later moved to Los Angeles, California
permanently.
s and horse
riding at the famed Griffith Park
. In Los Angeles, he lived in an apartment which he decorated with mementos from his boxing career.
, a destitute Homburg died in Puerto Vallarta
, Mexico
, of cancer, only a few years after German moviemaker Gerd Kroske produced a prize winning documentary on Homburg's life called The Boxing Prince (Der Boxprinz) which was released in 2002.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
wrestler, boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, and film actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
most noted for his portrayal of Vigo the Carpathian in the 1989 film Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters II is a 1989 science fiction comedy film produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. It is the sequel to the 1984 film Ghostbusters and follows the further adventures of a group of parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities...
.
Wrestling
Homburg was born in the German capital BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. In 1940, as Allied forces air raids took over Berlin, his family chose to live in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. Over time, Homburg developed a muscular body, and his father Richard, who was a baker by profession, introduced him to wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
. Homburg and his family moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1950s, and he and his father fought across the states on some wrestling associations. It was in the U.S. where he dropped his real name Norbert Grupe for marketing reasons, due to his last name being pronounced "Groupie" and took the name "Wilhelm von Homburg".
During his stint as a wrestler, Homburg was enticed to his bad guy character. He became interested in boxing after Emile Griffith
Emile Griffith
Emile Alphonse Griffith is a former boxer who was the first fighter from the U.S. Virgin Islands ever to become a world champion. He is perhaps best known for his controversial third fight with Benny Paret in 1962 for the welterweight world championship...
's fateful third bout with Benny Paret
Benny Paret
Benny "the Kid" Paret, born Bernardo Paret , born in Santa Clara, Cuba, was a Cuban welterweight boxer. Paret won the world welterweight title twice in the early 1960s and died in 1962 following an unsuccessful attempt to defend the crown in what is considered to be the first ring death witnessed...
. Homburg made his professional boxing debut on July 20, 1962, drawing (tying) over four rounds with Sam Wyatt in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Over the span of eight years, he had 46 bouts with 29 wins in the light heavyweight and heavy weight classes.
Boxing
Homburg was a highly successful boxer during the early stages of his career and adopted the nickname "Prinz" ("Prince"), in order to create an aura of royaltyRoyal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
around himself in a similar manner later adopted by British boxer Prince Naseem Hamed
Naseem Hamed
Naseem Hamed is an English former professional boxer.He is the former WBO, WBC, IBF, & Lineal featherweight champion, and European bantamweight champion....
.
Homburg's first boxing victory came on September 16, 1962, when he knocked out
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
Bob Brown in the third round at San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. On October 25, he lost for the first time, being knocked out in round three by Freeman Harding in the third round at Los Angeles. Eight victories followed, including two over Clifford Gray, before he drew against Tommy Merrill, June 1, 1963, in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. Homburg won three of his next five fights, then returned home with a record of 17-3-2. He settled in the city of Hamburg and was managed by Willi Zeller in Germany. Homburg held his German professional boxing debut on May 8, 1964, when he was held to a ten round draw by Ulli Ritter. However, he went on to win seven of his next ten bouts, being described by German press at the time as a "promising newcomer" and using his fight earnings to move to the Hamburg neighborhood of St. Pauli
St. Pauli
St. Pauli , located in the Hamburg-Mitte borough, is one of the 105 quarters of the city of Hamburg, Germany. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the Landungsbrücken are a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. Pauli contains a world famous red light district around the street Reeperbahn...
. During this period he and his lifelong friend, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
heavyweight fighter, Buddy Turman
Buddy Turman
Reagan Garth "Buddy" Turman was an American professional heavyweight boxer. He was born in the rural community of Noonday, Texas.-Boxing career:...
shared billing on several occasions in Germany and Austria, until Turman's retirement in 1967.
Homburg got his first championship try on November 19, 1966, when he contested Piero del Papa for the EBU regional Light Heavyweight title in Berlin. Homburg was defeated by an eleventh round disqualification against Del Papa, who later lost by a first round knockout to Vicente Rondon
Vicente Rondon
Vicente Paúl Rondón was a former WBA light heavyweight boxing world champion.- Personal background :Rondon was born in extreme poverty in Río Chico, Miranda, Venezuela, and decided to escape his poor surroundings by enlisting in the Venezuelan military at an early age.- Professional career :When...
in a challenge for the WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
World Light Heavyweight title.
For his part, Homburg returned to winning on December 9, only three weeks after his defeat against Del Papa, knocking out Archie McBride in nine rounds at Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
. After winning three more fights, losing one and drawing one, he faced the well respected Gerard Zech, who sported a 33-8-3 record, in an eliminator for the German Light Heavyweight championship. That fight was held on November 8, 1968. Initially declared a loser by a ten round decision, Homburg nevertheless had his hands raised as winner of the contest when it was discovered that the referee, who also acted as official judge, had made a mathematical mistake when he tabulated his scorecard after the bout had finished, and he actually had Homburg, not Zech, as the fight's winner.
Homburg next faced Guido Rinaldi, who lost a fifteen round decision to Archie Moore
Archie Moore
Archie Moore, born Archibald Lee Wright , was light heavyweight world boxing champion who had one of the longest professional careers in the history of that sport....
for the world Light Heavyweight title, three times in 1969, beating him in their first fight by a fifth round knockout, losing a ten round decision and winning their third clash, by an eighth round knockout. The latter would turn to be his last victory.
Homburg went on boxing, but he lost his next four fights, including defeats at the hands of Oscar Bonavena
Oscar Bonavena
Oscar Natalio "Ringo" Bonavena was a heavyweight professional boxer with a career record of 58 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw. A rugged, wild-swinging puncher, he was nicknamed "Ringo" because of his Beatles haircut, and enjoyed professional success in both Argentina and the United States...
and Jürgen Blin
Jürgen Blin
Jürgen Blin was a German boxer who on 26 December 1971 was knocked out in the seventh round by Muhammad Ali.Blin's record in the ring was 31-11-6 with nine knockouts. He was greatly admired by German boxing fans for his toughness and stamina in the ring...
. On December 11, 1970, he held his last fight, losing by a ten round decision to Rudiger Schmidtke in Cologne. Homburg retired from boxing with a record of 29 wins, 11 losses and 6 draws in 46 bouts, with 24 wins coming by knockout.
Film career
In 1965, Homburg made his screen debut with a small role in World War II epic Morituri alongside Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
. The following year he appeared in another war film, Torn Curtain
Torn Curtain
Torn Curtain is a 1966 American political thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Paul Newman and Julie Andrews.-Plot:On a cruise ship en route to Copenhagen, Michael Armstrong , an esteemed American physicist and rocket scientist, is to attend a scientific conference...
, with Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
where he also had a small part.
After being defeated in the boxing ring by Oscar Bonavena in 1969, Homburg made an appearance on German TV the next day. After the reporter Rainer Günzler had made some snide remarks about his boxing career and his flamboyant lifestyle, Homburg sat through the 10 minute live interview not answering any of Günzler's questions, only putting on a sarcastic smile that can be later seen in 1989 film Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters II is a 1989 science fiction comedy film produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. It is the sequel to the 1984 film Ghostbusters and follows the further adventures of a group of parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities...
.
Homburg appeared in a number of films up to the 1980s with only small roles in films like The Wrecking Crew
The Wrecking Crew (1969 film)
The Wrecking Crew, released in 1969 and starring Dean Martin, Elke Sommer, and Sharon Tate is the fourth and final film in a series of American comedy-spy-fi theatrical releases featuring Martin as secret agent Matt Helm....
with Sharon Tate
Sharon Tate
Sharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood's promising newcomers and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for...
and Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, where Homburg plays the character Gregor. He appeared as a villainous pimp in Werner Herzog's 1977 film "Stroszek". After 1977, Homburg's career in movies went into hiatus when he was sentenced for two years and three months in jail for "physical injury" (possibly assault) and "activities in prostitution". It has been reported that Homburg has spent about five years behind bars in his life. In 1988 Homburg made his big screen return in the action thriller Die Hard
Die Hard
Die Hard is a 1988 American action film and the first in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. It is based on a 1979 novel by Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to the book The Detective, which...
with Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
and Andreas Wisniewski. Homburg plays James, a member of the German terrorist group that plans to rob the Nakatomi Tower, meeting his demise courtesy of a DIY bomb from John McClane (Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
). From there, Homburg appeared in the 1989 movie blockbuster sequel Ghostbusters II where he plays Vigo the Carpathian, a 17th Century Eastern European tyrant (based loosely on Vlad Ţepeş
Vlad III the Impaler
Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia , also known by his patronymic Dracula , and posthumously dubbed Vlad the Impaler , was a three-time Voivode of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462, the period of the incipient Ottoman conquest of the Balkans...
), the role for which Homburg is probably most well known and recognised (though he was dubbed by Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
). After Ghostbusters II, Homburg appeared in a handful of films up to 1994, when he appeared in John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
's In the Mouth of Madness
In the Mouth of Madness
In the Mouth of Madness is a 1995 American horror film directed by John Carpenter and written by Michael De Luca, who was at the time of the film's release in charge of New Line Cinema...
playing Simon.
Homburg also appeared as Charles Diggs in Diggstown
Diggstown
Diggstown is a 1992 movie directed by Michael Ritchie, and starring James Woods, Louis Gossett, Jr. and Bruce Dern. It also features Heather Graham, Oliver Platt and Randall "Tex" Cobb.-Synopsis:...
(1992) alongside James Woods
James Woods
James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
. The movie centers around his character, Charles Diggs, who is a boxer that can't speak due to brain damage acquired in a fight.
Lifestyle
Homburg led a very public life, perhaps more public than many boxers who have reached world champion status. Because of this, many of his affairs became scandalous. Thinking of a future after boxing, he launched a career as an actor, debuting in 1965's Morituri.Homburg was at various times nicknamed "the boxer Beatle
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
" (because of the long hair he sported during his fights) and "the German answer to Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
" (because of his takes on 1960s issues such as music and other topics). His smoking habit was widely known; he entered rings with a cigar in his mouth many times, and smoking is unusual for professional boxers. Many German youths began to imitate his acts.
Homburg was a rebellious person, and he moved to St. Pauli's red district, becoming involved with drugs and sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
. Homburg was constantly followed by papparazzi, who documented his life hanging out with drug dealers, pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
s, and a local Hells Angels
Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide one-percenter motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Their primary motto...
chapter.
Homburg was accused of a number of crimes, such as extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, pimping and drug dealing. He spent five years in jail, and later moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
permanently.
Return to the United States
Far from the German limelight, Homburg tried to remake his life, retaking his career as an actor, this time in Hollywood. He enjoyed the company of dogDog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s and horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
riding at the famed Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
. In Los Angeles, he lived in an apartment which he decorated with mementos from his boxing career.
Death
In his later years Homburg lived in Los Angeles and reportedly toured the surrounding area with his dog in an old VW camper van. On 10 March 2004, after a brief stay with retired boxer Buddy Turman in Longview, TexasLongview, Texas
Longview is a city in Gregg and Harrison Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 80,455. Most of the city is located in Gregg County, of which it is the county seat; only a small part extends into the western part of neighboring Harrison County. It is...
, a destitute Homburg died in Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican balneario resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas.The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the sixth-largest city in the state of Jalisco...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, of cancer, only a few years after German moviemaker Gerd Kroske produced a prize winning documentary on Homburg's life called The Boxing Prince (Der Boxprinz) which was released in 2002.