Light-Middleweight (≤71 kilograms), Men

The defending champion in this class was Boris Lagutin of the Soviet Union and he came to Mexico City as the favorite. Lagutin had also won a bronze in this class in 1960, two European titles (1961, 1963), and six Soviet titles (1959, 1961-1964, 1968) and a silver in 1960. He advanced easily to the final where he met Cuba’s Rolando Garbey, who had won gold at the 1967 Pan American Games. The final was a brawl, with Lagutin defending his gold by unanimous decision, but the Mexican fans booed the Korean referee for letting the bout get out of control. Lagutin would retire from international competition after Mexico City, finishing his amateur career with 287 wins in 298 fights. He later became a coach and sports and boxing administrator in the Soviet Union and Russia. Garbey fought twice more at the Olympics, winning a bronze medal in this class in 1976. He repeated as Pan American Champion in 1971 and 1975, and won a gold medal at the inaugural World Championships in 1974.