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Light-Welterweight (≤63.5 kilograms), Men

Date19 September – 2 October 1988
StatusOlympic
LocationJam-sil Hak-saeng Che-yuk-gwan, Seoul Sports Complex, Seoul
Participants45 from 45 countries
FormatSingle elimination tournament.

The current world champion, Vasiliy Shishov of the Soviet Union, had outgrown the division in the two years since the World Championships. His replacement on the Soviet team was Belarussian Vyacheslav Yanovsky, who was also of a high calibre and had won the World Cup and also reached the final of the European Championships. Borislav Abadzhiev of Bulgaria, who had defeated Yanovsky to win the European title, made little impression in Seoul and was eliminated in his first bout.

Another bizarre chapter in the ongoing animosity between Korean and American boxers was enacted in the third round. For most of the tournament two rings were used concurrently with a bell used to denote the start and end of each round in one ring and a buzzer used in the other. The bout was held in the ring which used the buzzer but shortly before the end of the first round between Todd Foster and Jeon Jin-Cheol the Korean relaxed and turned to go to his corner when he heard the bell used in the other ring being rung. Foster realized Jeon’s error and rushed at him, landing a left hook to the face. The Korean dropped to the canvas, some said in a deliberate attempt to get his opponent disqualified, but the referee began to count before changing his mind and consulting with his fellow officials. After frantic deliberations it was decided to call the fight a )no-contest) and restage the bout the following day. The rematch was a dramatic one and Foster dropped his opponent in the opening seconds and though the Korean fought back gamely, the American knocked him out in round two.

Foster’s success was short-lived and he lost in an upset to Australia’s Grahame Cheney in the next round. Cheney built on this to become Australia’s first boxing finalist since the London Games of 1908. Try as he might Cheney could not match the expertise of Yanovsky in the final, who won the 14th and last of the Soviet Union’s Olympic boxing titles. At the relatively advanced age of 33 Yanovsky decided to embark on a professional career. He won all but two of his 32 contests and won national titles in Russia, Japan and Germany but never challenged for a global title.

PosCompetitorNOC
1Vyacheslav YanovskyURSGold
2Grahame CheneyAUSSilver
=3Lars MyrbergSWEBronze
=3Reiner GiesFRGBronze
=5Todd FosterUSA
=5Humberto RodríguezMEX
=5Anthony MwambaZAM
=5Sodnomdarjaagiin AltansükhMGL
=9Ike QuarteyGHA
=9Jeon Jin-CheolKOR
=9Duke ChinyadzaZIM
=9Howard GrantCAN
=9Ludovic ProtoFRA
=9Lyton MphandeMAW
=9Adrian CarewGUY
=9David KamauKEN
=17Miguel GonzálezPAR
=17José SaizozemaDOM
=17Liasu BraimohNGR
=17Andrzej MożdżeńPOL
=17Apete TemoFIJ
=17Andreas OttoGDR
=17Ahmad Mayez KhanjiSYR
=17Mark ElliottGBR
=17Rashi Ali Hadj MatumlaTAN
=17Khalid RahilouMAR
=17Anoumou AguiarTOG
=17Vukašin DobrašinovićYUG
=17Lóránt SzabóHUN
=17Martin N'Dongo EbangaCMR
=17Dan OdindoUGA
=32Handhal Mohamed Al-HarithyOMA
=32Tomás RuizESP
=32Søren SøndergaardDEN
=32Kouassi KouassiCIV
=32Jhapat Singh BhujelNEP
=32Avaavau AvaavauSAM
=32Kunihiro MiuraJPN
=32Jonas BadePNG
=32Borislav AbadzhievBUL
=32Bilal El-MasriLBN
=32Víctor PérezPUR
=32Abidnasir ShababJOR
=32Hubert WesterARU
=32Pravit SuwanwichitTHA
DNSBasil MaelagiSOL
DNSKampompo MiangoCOD
DNSMpucuko MakamaSWZ
DNSDesiré OlloGAB

Round One

Date19 September 1988
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the second round.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #119 SepGrahame CheneyAUS
Match #219 SepMiguel GonzálezPAR
Match #319 SepJosé SaizozemaDOM
Match #419 SepIke QuarteyGHA
Match #519 SepTodd FosterUSA
Match #619 SepKampompo MiangoCOD
Match #719 SepJeon Jin-CheolKOR
Match #819 SepLiasu BraimohNGR
Match #919 SepDuke ChinyadzaZIM
Match #1019 SepAndrzej MożdżeńPOL
Match #1119 SepApete TemoFIJ
Match #1219 SepHumberto RodríguezMEX
Match #1319 SepHoward GrantCAN
Match #1419 SepAndreas OttoGDR
Match #1519 SepAhmad Mayez KhanjiSYR
Match #1619 SepLars MyrbergSWEReferee stops contest (head blow)Handhal Mohamed Al-HarithyOMA
Match #1719 SepLudovic ProtoFRAWalkoverMpucuko MakamaSWZ
Match #1819 SepMark ElliottGBRDecisionTomás RuizESP
Match #1919 SepVyacheslav YanovskyURSReferee stops contest (head blow)Søren SøndergaardDEN
Match #2019 SepRashi Ali Hadj MatumlaTANReferee stops contest (head blow)Kouassi KouassiCIV
Match #2119 SepLyton MphandeMAWDecisionJhapat Singh BhujelNEP
Match #2219 SepKhalid RahilouMARReferee stops contest (outclassed)Avaavau AvaavauSAM
Match #2319 SepAnthony MwambaZAMDecisionKunihiro MiuraJPN
Match #2419 SepAnoumou AguiarTOGDisqualifiedJonas BadePNG
Match #2519 SepVukašin DobrašinovićYUGDecisionBorislav AbadzhievBUL
Match #2619 SepAdrian CarewGUYDecisionBilal El-MasriLBN
Match #2719 SepLóránt SzabóHUNDecisionVíctor PérezPUR
Match #2819 SepReiner GiesFRGWalkoverBasil MaelagiSOL
Match #2919 SepDavid KamauKENReferee stops contest (head blow)Abidnasir ShababJOR
Match #3019 SepMartin N'Dongo EbangaCMRReferee stops contest (head blow)Hubert WesterARU
Match #3119 SepSodnomdarjaagiin AltansükhMGLDecisionPravit SuwanwichitTHA
Match #3219 SepDan OdindoUGAWalkoverDesiré OlloGAB

Round Two

Date23 September 1988
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the third round.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #123 SepGrahame CheneyAUSReferee stops contest (head blow)Miguel GonzálezPAR
Match #223 SepIke QuarteyGHADecisionJosé SaizozemaDOM
Match #323 SepTodd FosterUSAKnock-outKhalid RahilouMAR
Match #423 SepJeon Jin-CheolKORReferee stops contest (head blow)Liasu BraimohNGR
Match #523 SepDuke ChinyadzaZIMDecisionAndrzej MożdżeńPOL
Match #623 SepHumberto RodríguezMEXReferee stops contest (head blow)Apete TemoFIJ
Match #723 SepHoward GrantCANReferee stops contest (injured)Andreas OttoGDR
Match #823 SepLars MyrbergSWEDecisionAhmad Mayez KhanjiSYR
Match #923 SepLudovic ProtoFRAReferee stops contest (injured)Mark ElliottGBR
Match #1023 SepVyacheslav YanovskyURSReferee stops contest (outclassed)Rashi Ali Hadj MatumlaTAN
Match #1123 SepLyton MphandeMAWWalkoverKampompo MiangoCOD
Match #1223 SepAnthony MwambaZAMReferee stops contestAnoumou AguiarTOG
Match #1323 SepAdrian CarewGUYDecisionVukašin DobrašinovićYUG
Match #1423 SepReiner GiesFRGDecisionLóránt SzabóHUN
Match #1523 SepDavid KamauKENDecisionMartin N'Dongo EbangaCMR
Match #1623 SepSodnomdarjaagiin AltansükhMGLReferee stops contest (head blow)Dan OdindoUGA

Round Three

Date25 September 1988
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the quarter-finals.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #125 SepGrahame CheneyAUSDecisionIke QuarteyGHA
Match #225 SepTodd FosterUSAKnock-outJeon Jin-CheolKOR
Match #325 SepHumberto RodríguezMEXKnock-outDuke ChinyadzaZIM
Match #425 SepLars MyrbergSWEDecisionHoward GrantCAN
Match #525 SepVyacheslav YanovskyURSDecisionLudovic ProtoFRA
Match #625 SepAnthony MwambaZAMKnock-outLyton MphandeMAW
Match #725 SepReiner GiesFRGDecisionAdrian CarewGUY
Match #825 SepSodnomdarjaagiin AltansükhMGLDecisionDavid KamauKEN

Quarter-Finals

Date27 September 1988
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the semi-finals.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #127 SepGrahame CheneyAUSDecisionTodd FosterUSA
Match #227 SepLars MyrbergSWEKnock-outHumberto RodríguezMEX
Match #327 SepVyacheslav YanovskyURSDecisionAnthony MwambaZAM
Match #427 SepReiner GiesFRGDecisionSodnomdarjaagiin AltansükhMGL

Semi-Finals

Date29 September 1988
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the final match.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #129 SepGrahame CheneyAUSDecisionLars MyrbergSWE
Match #229 SepVyacheslav YanovskyURSKnock-outReiner GiesFRG

Final Round

Date2 October 1988
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match 1/202 OctVyacheslav YanovskyURSDecisionGrahame CheneyAUS