Light-Heavyweight (≤80 kilograms), Men

Hennie Quentemeijer of the Netherlands was European champion in 1947, and arrived as his country’s best hope of boxing success, but he had spent most of the intervening months in the Dutch East Indies, with little chance to practice, and he failed to record a victory – Mauro Cía of Argentina eked out a points decision over him in round one. In the absence of the Dutchman, European hopes rested with the British boxer Don Scott. Despite suffering from an injured nose, Scott moved into the final to the home crowd’s evident pleasure. The other finalist would be George Hunter of South Africa, a boxer who had fought through a difficult draw with a series of impressive performances. The final was closely contested and both fighters were praised for their efforts, but there was no doubting that Hunter had won South Africa’s second boxing of the Games. Hunter would also be awarded the Val Barker Trophy as the outstanding and most stylish boxer of the Games.

There was an unfortunate end to the bronze medal box-off, when Australia’s Adrian Holmes suffered a broken ankle after being knocked to the canvas against Mauro Cía, and was wheeled out of the arena. Cía would go on to a brief career in Argentine movies. America’s Chuck Spieser lost in the last 16, but would be the more successful in the pro ranks, and he fought a final eliminator for the World title.