The Gentle Giant Between Demolition and the Boxing Ring

Broad shoulders, muscular arms, a well-trained body. Gene Pukall is an imposing figure. But anyone who then hears him speak in his Berlin dialect is surprised by his calm, almost gentle voice. Gene Pukall is not a man of loud words. He comes across as grounded, polite, clear. A tough guy with a soft centre. Since 2021, the likeable 50-year-old has worked at the Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant (KKM).

From the torus ring…

Born in Berlin and raised by his grandmother, Gene Pukall has lived in Switzerland for more than 13 years – today in a small village in the canton of Solothurn. The fact that he rose from temporarily employed dismantling worker to dismantling team leader proves two things: at KKM, you can go a long way, and in life, as is so often the case, it is a mixture of initiative, tact and a little bit of chance that brought him to where he is today. “A few years ago, we were working in the torus, a large ring beneath the reactor. It is a huge, sealed-off area. I simply took responsibility there, took the reins a little,” he says. Shortly afterwards, several team leaders retired or changed jobs – and Pukall moved up. Not because he loudly promoted himself, but because he had convinced people. Through commitment, attitude and experience. Today, he and his team coordinate the dismantling of one of the two condensers – a highly complex, physically demanding task that requires precision, discipline and stamina.

People behind the decommissioning – Gene Pukall, Team Leader Dismantling and boxer

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…into the boxing ring

Speaking of discipline: alongside his work, Gene Pukall is a passionate boxer. And not just at the gym to unwind. He started at the age of 20, relatively late for the sport, as he himself says. “But I quickly made up for that with passion and toughness.” In 2000, Gene Pukall stepped into the ring as a professional for the first time; in 2004, he became world heavyweight boxing champion. A few years later, Die Welt wrote that Gene Pukall was a world champion whom nobody knew. The background: there are a great many associations in boxing, and each association can stage world championship bouts. Either way. Pukall was given the name “Hero of Pankow”, after the Berlin district where he had grown up. “Yes, I am a child of reunification,” he says. “I grew up in the GDR; in the 1990s, a lot of things were rough and prone to violence. Before I took the wrong path, I sought my way into boxing. And found it.” His career was not like something out of a storybook – without major promoters behind him, he had to fight for a lot himself. That makes it all the more meaningful to him that he still made it so far.

After a lengthy break, Gene Pukall is now daring to make a comeback at the age of 50: at the beginning of August, he will step into the ring again. Preparations are under way. “The body has to play along – that is the condition,” he says.

Dismantling and cover

What at first glance appears contradictory – dismantling a nuclear power plant on the one hand, and the boxing ring on the other – has a surprising number of parallels for Gene Pukall. “Both are hard work, physically and mentally,” he says. “And in both areas, you need discipline, focus and team spirit.” Whether in a protective suit between heavy metal plates or in the ring under the spotlight – Gene remains alert, clear-headed and responsible. He says: “I benefit from sport at work – I am more focused and more resilient. And conversely, my experience at KKM helps me keep a cool head in the ring too.”

The boxer as a team player

At KKM, Pukall’s boxing career has long been no secret. The reactions of his colleagues? Mostly positive. ‘Perhaps some people think I’m a bit mad to step into the ring again at the age of 50,’ he says with a laugh. ‘But I feel supported – many simply find it exciting.’

And what motivates him – in sport as in his career? ‘I grew up with my grandmother and didn’t always have it easy. That teaches you early on to grit your teeth and keep going. I know what it’s like to carry on alone. That gives you strength.’ He says he rarely has problems with motivation. And if he does ever hit a bit of a low? ‘Then I see work as a training session. I imagine I’m doing a round of boxing – and then I see it through.’

Anyone who meets Gene Pukall quickly realises: he is not someone who ever pushes himself into the spotlight. And yet he is someone who impresses – with his story, his attitude, his strength. Professionally, he bears responsibility on one of the most complex construction sites in Switzerland. And in his private life, he is fighting once again for his dream. Good luck, Gene!

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