|
| Event type

Welterweight (≤67 kilograms), Men

Date20 September – 1 October 1988
StatusOlympic
LocationJam-sil Hak-saeng Che-yuk-gwan, Seoul Sports Complex, Seoul
Participants44 from 44 countries
FormatSingle elimination tournament.

As one of the few non-Cubans who had won gold at the 1986 World Championships, America’s Kenny Gould had every reason to be the gold medal favourite in Seoul. His performances in the early rounds did little to dent American enthusiasm and when France’s Laurent Boudouani upset Song Gyeong-Seop of Korea it appeared Gould would advance to the final comfortably when the two met in the semi-final. Boudouani had other ideas and, being the bigger man, bullied the more skillful American around the ring to take the decision.

Opposing the Frenchman in the final was Robert Wangila, the African champion from Kenya. Wangila was the complete antithesis of Gould - a powerful built fighter with a massive punch. After some initial sparring the Kenyan connected with Boudouani’s jaw on the two minute mark and sent him sprawling to the canvas. The Frenchman saw out the round and another big punch knocked him down again in round two and the referee stepped in to save further punishment. As of 2012 Wangila remains the only Kenyan to have won an Olympic title outside track & field athletics.

Both finalists launched professional careers albeit with very different outcomes. Wangila based himself in Las Vegas and had won 22 of his 26 bouts when he faced David Gonzales in July 1994. After being stopped in the seventh round of a brutal fight he collapsed in his dressing room and slipped into a coma. He never regained consciousness and died three days later. His body was returned but an argument between his wife and parents over whether he had converted from Christianity to Islam delayed his funeral until a court rendered its’ verdict. Two years after Wangila’s death Boudouani began a reign as the WBA light middleweight champion.

PosCompetitorNOC
1Robert WangilaKENGold
2Laurent BoudouaniFRASilver
=3Jan DydakPOLBronze
=3Kenny GouldUSABronze
=5Adewale AdegbusiNGR
=5Hristo FurnigovBUL
=5Song Gyeong-SeopKOR
=5Joni NymanFIN
=9Javier MartínezESP
=9Humberto ArandaCRC
=9Abdoukerim HamidouTOG
=9Khaidavyn GantulgaMGL
=9Darren ObahAUS
=9Siegfried MehnertGDR
=9Maselino MasoeASA
=9Dimus ChisalaZAM
=17Daryl JosephANT
=17Lucas SinoiaMOZ
=17José GarcíaVEN
=17Asomua NaeaSAM
=17Francisc VaștagROU
=17Gregory GriffithBAR
=17Đorđe PetronijevićYUG
=17Richard HamiltonJAM
=17Imre BácskaiHUN
=17Abdullah Salim Al-BarwaniOMA
=17Alexander KünzlerFRG
=17Abdellah TaouaneMAR
=17Fidèle MohingaCAF
=17Alfred AnkamahGHA
=17Sören AntmanSWE
=17Vladimir YereshchenkoURS
=33Kasmiro OmonaUGA
=33Billy WalshIRL
=33Đỗ Tiến TuấnVIE
=33Lionel OrtizPUR
=33Adão N'ZuziANG
=33Pedro FríasDOM
=33Boston SimbeyeMAW
=33Joseph MarwaTAN
=33Isimeli LesivakaruaFIJ
=33Manny SobralCAN
=33Yoshiaki TakahashiJPN
=33Wanderley OliveiraBRA

Round One

Date20 September 1988
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the second round.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #120 SepAdewale AdegbusiNGR
Match #220 SepDaryl JosephANT
Match #320 SepJavier MartínezESP
Match #420 SepLucas SinoiaMOZ
Match #520 SepJan DydakPOL
Match #620 SepJosé GarcíaVEN
Match #720 SepAsomua NaeaSAM
Match #820 SepHumberto ArandaCRC
Match #920 SepAbdoukerim HamidouTOG
Match #1020 SepFrancisc VaștagROU
Match #1120 SepHristo FurnigovBUL
Match #1220 SepGregory GriffithBAR
Match #1320 SepĐorđe PetronijevićYUG
Match #1420 SepRobert WangilaKEN
Match #1520 SepKhaidavyn GantulgaMGL
Match #1620 SepRichard HamiltonJAM
Match #1720 SepImre BácskaiHUN
Match #1820 SepLaurent BoudouaniFRA
Match #1920 SepDarren ObahAUS
Match #2020 SepAbdullah Salim Al-BarwaniOMA
Match #2120 SepAlexander KünzlerFRGDecisionKasmiro OmonaUGA
Match #2220 SepSong Gyeong-SeopKORReferee stops contest (outclassed)Billy WalshIRL
Match #2320 SepAbdellah TaouaneMARDecisionĐỗ Tiến TuấnVIE
Match #2420 SepSiegfried MehnertGDRDecisionLionel OrtizPUR
Match #2520 SepFidèle MohingaCAFDecisionAdão N'ZuziANG
Match #2620 SepMaselino MasoeASAReferee stops contest (head blow)Pedro FríasDOM
Match #2720 SepAlfred AnkamahGHAKnock-outBoston SimbeyeMAW
Match #2820 SepKenny GouldUSADecisionJoseph MarwaTAN
Match #2920 SepSören AntmanSWEReferee stops contest (head blow)Isimeli LesivakaruaFIJ
Match #3020 SepJoni NymanFINDecisionManny SobralCAN
Match #3120 SepVladimir YereshchenkoURSDecisionYoshiaki TakahashiJPN
Match #3220 SepDimus ChisalaZAMReferee stops contest (head blow)Wanderley OliveiraBRA

Round Two

Date24 September 1988
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the third round.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #124 SepAdewale AdegbusiNGRKnock-outDaryl JosephANT
Match #224 SepJavier MartínezESPDecisionLucas SinoiaMOZ
Match #324 SepJan DydakPOLDecisionJosé GarcíaVEN
Match #424 SepHumberto ArandaCRCReferee stops contest (head blow)Asomua NaeaSAM
Match #524 SepAbdoukerim HamidouTOGDisqualifiedFrancisc VaștagROU
Match #624 SepHristo FurnigovBULKnock-outGregory GriffithBAR
Match #724 SepRobert WangilaKENReferee stops contest (head blow)Đorđe PetronijevićYUG
Match #824 SepKhaidavyn GantulgaMGLReferee stops contest (head blow)Richard HamiltonJAM
Match #924 SepLaurent BoudouaniFRADecisionImre BácskaiHUN
Match #1024 SepDarren ObahAUSReferee stops contest (outclassed)Abdullah Salim Al-BarwaniOMA
Match #1124 SepSong Gyeong-SeopKORDecisionAlexander KünzlerFRG
Match #1224 SepSiegfried MehnertGDRDecisionAbdellah TaouaneMAR
Match #1324 SepMaselino MasoeASAReferee stops contest (head blow)Fidèle MohingaCAF
Match #1424 SepKenny GouldUSADecisionAlfred AnkamahGHA
Match #1524 SepJoni NymanFINDecisionSören AntmanSWE
Match #1624 SepDimus ChisalaZAMReferee stops contest (injured)Vladimir YereshchenkoURS

Round Three

Date26 September 1988
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the quarter-finals.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #126 SepAdewale AdegbusiNGRDecisionJavier MartínezESP
Match #226 SepJan DydakPOLDecisionHumberto ArandaCRC
Match #326 SepHristo FurnigovBULDecisionAbdoukerim HamidouTOG
Match #426 SepRobert WangilaKENRetiredKhaidavyn GantulgaMGL
Match #526 SepLaurent BoudouaniFRADecisionDarren ObahAUS
Match #626 SepSong Gyeong-SeopKORDecisionSiegfried MehnertGDR
Match #726 SepKenny GouldUSADecisionMaselino MasoeASA
Match #826 SepJoni NymanFINDecisionDimus ChisalaZAM

Quarter-Finals

Date28 September 1988
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the semi-finals.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #128 SepJan DydakPOLDecisionAdewale AdegbusiNGR
Match #228 SepRobert WangilaKENDecisionHristo FurnigovBUL
Match #328 SepLaurent BoudouaniFRADecisionSong Gyeong-SeopKOR
Match #428 SepKenny GouldUSADecisionJoni NymanFIN

Semi-Finals

Date29 September 1988
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the final match.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #129 SepRobert WangilaKENWalkoverJan DydakPOL
Match #229 SepLaurent BoudouaniFRADecisionKenny GouldUSA

Final Round

Date1 October 1988
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match 1/201 OctRobert WangilaKENKnock-outLaurent BoudouaniFRA