Welterweight (≤67 kilograms), Men

The clear favourite for the welterweight division was Nicky Gargano of Great Britain who had been European Champion in 1955. After defeating the Soviet Union’s Eduard Borisov in his first bout it was assumed that he had a clear run to the final but that reckoned without Nicolae Linca of Romania. With a close and unpopular, at least with the crowd, decision Linca upset Gargano in the semi-final. The other semi-final was contested between Fred Tiedt, an Irishman of Austrian extraction, and the home favourite Kevin Hogarth. Although he was comfortably out boxed by Tiedt, Hogarth did have the consolation of becoming the first Australian boxing medal winner since the 1908 Games. The final was the most controversial of the 1956 boxing tournament. Two judges gave the victory to Tiedt by comfortable margins but the three other had Linca narrowly in front. The Official Report of the Games considered Tiedt to be an “unlucky loser” and even decades later Irish sports fans still refer to it as a “robbery”. As of 2012, Linca is unique as the only Romanian to have won an Olympic title in boxing. His life ended tragically as he was stricken by Parkinson’s disease and later Alzheimer’s Disease.