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Light-Heavyweight (≤81 kilograms), Men

Date30 July – 11 August 1984 — 11:00
StatusOlympic
LocationLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California
Participants24 from 24 countries
FormatSingle elimination tournament.

The 1982 World Champion was Cuba’s Pablo Romero, and in 1983 he won the Pan American Games gold medal, defeating American Evander Holyfield in the final. Romero was absent because of the Soviet-led boycott, leaving Holyfield as the favorite in Los Angeles. Holyfield rolled through his first three matches, none going the distance, and in the semi-finals faced New Zealand’s Kevin Barry, the 1982 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist. Near the end of the second round, Holyfield hammered Barry’s ribs with a right, and then unloaded with a left hook that floored Barry. The official, a Yugoslav named Gligorije Novičić, waved Holyfield to a neutral corner and then counted out Barry. He then turned to Holyfield and disqualified him for a purported late hit, saying he had told him to break prior to the left hook. Films did seem to confirm this, but even Barry told Holyfield that “You won the fight fair and square.” The pro-American crowd went crazy, and Novičić had to receive a police escort to exit the arena. Barry had won, but could not fight in the finals because he had been knocked out and amateur rules prohibit a knocked out boxer from fighting for 28 days. This gave the gold medal to Ante Josipović, who like Novičić, was from Yugoslavia. During the victory ceremony, Josipović pulled Holyfield up to the top step of the podium. Josipović turned professional in 1990, fighting through 1995, and retiring after losing two bouts for the Croatian professional cruiserweight title. Holyfield turned professional right after the Los Angeles Olympics. Always in superb condition, with a chiseled body, he continued to fight through 2011, winning multiple world titles in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. His pro record at the end of 2011 was 44 wins, 10 losses, and 2 draws. Pablo Romero never got to box at the Olympics as Cuba would boycott again in 1988, but he won the World Championship once again in 1986, and repeated as Pan American champion in 1987.

PosCompetitorNOC
1Ante JosipovićYUGGold
2Kevin BarryNZLSilver
=3Evander HolyfieldUSABronze
=3Mustapha MoussaALGBronze
=5Tony WilsonGBR
=5Georgică DoniciROU
=5Sylvanus OkelloKEN
=5Jean-Paul Nanga-NtsahCMR
=9Drake ThadziMAW
=9Roberto VillalbaARG
=9Fine Sani VeaTGA
=9Markus BottFRG
=9Michael NassoroTAN
=9Ismail SalmanIRQ
=9Christer CorpiSWE
=9Jonathan KiriisaUGA
=17Juha HänninenFIN
=17Ahmed El-NagarEGY
=17Taju AkayGHA
=17Anthony LongdonGRN
=17Philip PinderBAH
=17Arcadio FuentesPUR
=17Don SmithTTO
=17Djiguible TraoréMLI

Round One

Date30 July 1984
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the second round.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #130 JulMustapha MoussaALG
Match #230 JulDrake ThadziMAW
Match #330 JulTony WilsonGBR
Match #430 JulRoberto VillalbaARG
Match #530 JulGeorgică DoniciROU
Match #630 JulFine Sani VeaTGA
Match #730 JulAnte JosipovićYUG
Match #830 JulMarkus BottFRG
Match #930 JulMichael NassoroTANReferee stops contest (head blow)Juha HänninenFIN
Match #1030 JulSylvanus OkelloKENReferee stops contest (head blow)Ahmed El-NagarEGY
Match #1130 JulEvander HolyfieldUSAReferee stops contest (head blow)Taju AkayGHA
Match #1230 JulIsmail SalmanIRQKnock-outAnthony LongdonGRN
Match #1330 JulJean-Paul Nanga-NtsahCMRDecisionPhilip PinderBAH
Match #1430 JulChrister CorpiSWEKnock-outArcadio FuentesPUR
Match #1530 JulKevin BarryNZLDecisionDon SmithTTO
Match #1630 JulJonathan KiriisaUGADecisionDjiguible TraoréMLI

Round Two

Date4 August 1984
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the quarter-finals.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #104 AugMustapha MoussaALGDecisionDrake ThadziMAW
Match #204 AugTony WilsonGBRReferee stops contestRoberto VillalbaARG
Match #304 AugGeorgică DoniciROUDecisionFine Sani VeaTGA
Match #404 AugAnte JosipovićYUGDecisionMarkus BottFRG
Match #504 AugSylvanus OkelloKENDecisionMichael NassoroTAN
Match #604 AugEvander HolyfieldUSAReferee stops contest (head blow)Ismail SalmanIRQ
Match #704 AugJean-Paul Nanga-NtsahCMRDecisionChrister CorpiSWE
Match #804 AugKevin BarryNZLDecisionJonathan KiriisaUGA

Quarter-Finals

Date7 August 1984
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the semi-finals.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #107 AugMustapha MoussaALGDecisionTony WilsonGBR
Match #207 AugAnte JosipovićYUGDecisionGeorgică DoniciROU
Match #307 AugEvander HolyfieldUSAKnock-outSylvanus OkelloKEN
Match #407 AugKevin BarryNZLDecisionJean-Paul Nanga-NtsahCMR

Semi-Finals

Date9 August 1984
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the final match.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #109 AugAnte JosipovićYUGDecisionMustapha MoussaALG
Match #209 AugKevin BarryNZLDisqualifiedEvander HolyfieldUSA

Final Round

Date11 August 1984
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match 1/211 AugAnte JosipovićYUGWalkoverKevin BarryNZL