East German boxer Herbert Bauch won the East German nationals in the middleweight class in 1977 and the light-heavyweight class in 1978. He was then nominated for the 1978 Worlds and earned a bronze medal. He also added an Olympic bronze in the light-heavyweight class at the 1980 Moskva Olympics, which were boycotted by many Western countries. At Moskva he lost his semi-final bout against upcoming Olympic champion Slobodan Kačar from Yugoslavia. In 1981 and 1982, Bauch is not found in any boxing results, so it is suspected that he retired at age 24, but the reasons are unknown.
East Germany