Bantamweight (≤54 kilograms), Men

The overwhelming favourite for gold was the reigning Olympic champion, Oleg Grigoryev of the USSR, so it came as a massive shock when he was dispatched from the tournament by Juan Fabila of Mexico in the quarter-final via a split decision. Unusually the semi-finals were devoid of fighters from either Europe or the USA and for the first time two Asian fighters were to meet for the Olympic title. No Japanese fighter had ever won Olympic gold but hopes were high that Takao Sakurai, who had won the Pre-Olympic event in 1963, was to become their first champion. The final was short and brutal and Jeong Sin-Jo of Korea was to taste the canvas on four occasions before the fight was stopped in Sakurai’s favour midway through the second round. Sakurai had a professional career that culminated in an unsuccessful attempt at the world bantamweight title in 1968. He later set up his own gymnasium. As of 2012 he remains the only Japanese boxer to win Olympic gold.