Featherweight (≤57 kilograms), Men

The division was expected to act as an extension of the cold war with Stanislav Stepashkin of the USSR and Charlie Brown of the USA being the prime candidates to meet in the final. Stepashkin lived up to his billing by following a destructive route to the final in which he stopped or knocked out all four of his opponents. Brown was plagued by ill luck in the shape of a throat infection which forced him into a hospital bed prior to his semi-final. He was then upset by Filipino Anthony Villanueva, the son of 1932 boxing medallist José Villanueva, on a points decision. Stepashkin was expected to overwhelm his opponent in the final but the fight did not follow the plan and many at ringside thought that Villanueva had done enough to become Olympic champion. Three of the five judges decided that the Soviet deserved to win and Stepashkin was crowned Olympic champion. Stepashkin won European titles each side of his Olympic triumph but failed to gain selection for the 1968 Games and retired. He became a trainer and coached national teams from Algeria, Cameroon and the Seychelles as well as in his native country of Russia. Valentín Loren also made world headlines for his performances in these Games. Disqualified in his first round bout he registered his annoyance at the referee by landing a punch on the official’s jaw. He was banned from boxing for life.