Light-Welterweight (≤64 kilograms), Men

The defending champion was Thailand’s Manut Boonjumnong who was back in Beijing, after winning at the 2006 Asian Games. But he was not favored, that being the 2005 and 2007 World Champion, Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan. Unfortunately the two met in the quarter-finals, Boonjumnong advancing by decision, 7-5. He made it to the final, where he met Félix Díaz of the Dominican Republic, who had survived two very close bouts in the quarters and semis. His semi-final win over Frenchman Alexis Vastine was controversial as Vastine was twice penalized for holding, which gave the bout to Díaz, 12-10. After the semi-finals, AIBA delegate Rudel Obreja held a press conference in which he alleged that there was bias in the selection of referees. He was quickly suspended by the AIBA, who claimed they were investigating this, but nothing was ever announced concerning the problem. In the final Díaz faced Boonjumnong with Díaz winning relatively easily, 12-4, by decision. Díaz soon became an elite professional and went undefeated into the late 2010s.