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| Event type

Featherweight (≤57 kilograms), Men

Date22 July – 4 August 1996
StatusOlympic
LocationAlexander Memorial Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia
Participants31 from 31 countries
FormatSingle elimination tournament.

Serafim Todorov of Bulgaria had been the outstanding featherweight in the world since the 1992 Games and won both of the World Championships in that period. Despite losing the final of the European Championships to Ramaz Paliani of Russia early in 1996 he still arrived in Atlanta as a strong favourite for gold. As well as Paliani, Asian champion Somluck Kamsing, a convert from Thai-style boxing, and Cuban Lorenzo Aragon were also expected to mount medal challenges.

The joker in the pack came from the host nation in the shape of Floyd Mayweather, Jr., a precociously talented teenager whose father and uncle had been outstanding professionals a decade earlier. Mayweather won his first bouts then dispatched Pan-American champion Aragon on a 12-11 decision in the quarter-finals. This was the first time an American boxer had beaten a Cuban at the Olympics since 1976. This set the scene for a Todorov-Mayweather semi-final which was to become one of the major talking points of the whole tournament. Todorov was ruled the winner on a 10-9 decision which was roundly booed by the American fans in the arena. The US team filed a protest alleging that head boxing official, a countryman of Todorov’s, intimidated the judges into favouring the Bulgarian but this was dismissed by the AIBA.

Meanwhile Somluck Kamsing had made his way to the final in less controversial fashion. Thailand had never previously won an Olympic title in 40 years of participation but Kamsing was in no mood to fail and took an early lead against Todorov that he never let go and won by 8-5. He became a national hero in Thailand and, despite being nominally amateur, received $1,000,000 in gifts from government and business sources. He eventually competed in 4 Olympic Games but this was the only medal he won.

Both losing semi-finalists became world champions as professionals with Mayweather becoming one of the few genuine superstars of the sport as the sport declined from the start of the 21st century. By the start of 2013 he remained unbeaten as a professional through 2013 and had career earnings of $213 million.

PosCompetitorNOC
1Somluck KamsingTHAGold
2Serafim TodorovBULSilver
=3Pablo ChacónARGBronze
=3Floyd Mayweather, Jr.USABronze
5Ramaz PalianiRUS
6János NagyHUN
7Falk HusteGER
8Lorenzo AragónCUB
=9Tigran OuzlianGRE
=9Philip NdouRSA
=9Daniel AttahNGR
=9Josian LebonMRI
=9Ulugbek IbragimovUZB
=9Robbie PedenAUS
=9Rogério DezorziBRA
=9Artur GevorgyanARM
=17Sin Su-YeongKOR
=17Casey PattonCAN
=17Luis SedaPUR
=17Lynch IperaPNG
=17John KelmanBAR
=17Tyson GrayJAM
=17Serdar YağlıTUR
=17David BurkeGBR
=17Jamgany NarantsogtMGL
=17Mohamed AchikMAR
=17Yevhen ShestakovUKR
=17Nemo BahariINA
=17Noureddine MadjhoudALG
=17Bakhtiyar TyleganovKAZ
=17Elvis KonameguiCMR

Round One

Date22 July 1996 — 13:30
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the second round.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #122 Jul 13:30Tigran OuzlianGRE
Match #222 Jul 13:42Ramaz PalianiRUSDecisionSin Su-YeongKOR
Match #322 Jul 13:54Philip NdouRSAReferee stops contestCasey PattonCAN
Match #422 Jul 14:06Somluck KamsingTHADecisionLuis SedaPUR
Match #522 Jul 14:18Daniel AttahNGRDecisionLynch IperaPNG
Match #622 Jul 14:30János NagyHUNReferee stops contest (head blow)John KelmanBAR
Match #722 Jul 14:42Pablo ChacónARGDecisionTyson GrayJAM
Match #822 Jul 15:00Josian LebonMRIDecisionSerdar YağlıTUR
Match #922 Jul 15:10Falk HusteGERDecisionDavid BurkeGBR
Match #1022 Jul 20:00Ulugbek IbragimovUZBReferee stops contest (injured)Jamgany NarantsogtMGL
Match #1122 Jul 20:12Robbie PedenAUSDecisionMohamed AchikMAR
Match #1222 Jul 20:24Serafim TodorovBULDecisionYevhen ShestakovUKR
Match #1322 Jul 20:36Rogério DezorziBRADecisionNemo BahariINA
Match #1422 Jul 20:48Lorenzo AragónCUBDecisionNoureddine MadjhoudALG
Match #1522 Jul 21:00Floyd Mayweather, Jr.USAReferee stops contest (injured)Bakhtiyar TyleganovKAZ
Match #1622 Jul 21:12Artur GevorgyanARMDecisionElvis KonameguiCMR

Round Two

Date27 July 1996 — 13:30
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the quarter-finals.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #127 Jul 13:30Ramaz PalianiRUSDecisionTigran OuzlianGRE
Match #227 Jul 13:42Somluck KamsingTHADecisionPhilip NdouRSA
Match #327 Jul 13:54János NagyHUNDecisionDaniel AttahNGR
Match #427 Jul 14:06Pablo ChacónARGDecisionJosian LebonMRI
Match #527 Jul 20:00Falk HusteGERDecisionUlugbek IbragimovUZB
Match #627 Jul 20:12Serafim TodorovBULDecisionRobbie PedenAUS
Match #727 Jul 20:24Lorenzo AragónCUBDecisionRogério DezorziBRA
Match #827 Jul 20:36Floyd Mayweather, Jr.USADecisionArtur GevorgyanARM

Quarter-Finals

Date31 July 1996 — 13:54
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the semi-finals.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #131 Jul 13:54Somluck KamsingTHADecisionRamaz PalianiRUS
Match #231 Jul 14:06Pablo ChacónARGDecisionJános NagyHUN
Match #331 Jul 20:24Serafim TodorovBULDecisionFalk HusteGER
Match #431 Jul 20:36Floyd Mayweather, Jr.USADecisionLorenzo AragónCUB

Semi-Finals

Date2 August 1996 — 20:24
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the final match.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #102 Aug 20:24Somluck KamsingTHADecisionPablo ChacónARG
Match #202 Aug 20:36Serafim TodorovBULDecisionFloyd Mayweather, Jr.USA

Final Round

Date4 August 1996 — 13:53
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match 1/204 Aug 13:53Somluck KamsingTHADecisionSerafim TodorovBUL