Boxing at the 1904 Summer Olympics

Boxing was held in the Physical Culture Gymnasium adjacent to the Olympic Stadium at Washington University, 21-22 September 1904. It was a very boring competition. In seven classes, only 17 boxers competed. Only the 135 pound and 145 pound classes had more than three competitors and three classes had only two competitors, who fought a single bout for the Olympic championship. There was supposed to be a tournament for third place among all those who lost to the finalists, but most of these have not been reported in the 1904 St. Louis newspapers, and it is not certain if these were actually contested in all classes.

The Olympic boxing matches in 1904 were not the U.S. National Championships or the AAU Championships. They were a separate event contested solely as the Olympic contest. In addition, they were open to amateurs only and to entrants from all nations. Thus, they probably should be considered as an Olympic event. The only negative for consideration as an Olympic sport is that there were no foreign competitors and no foreign entrants that we can find. This does not mean, however, that the boxing events were not open to them, and in fact, they were according to the rules. It is simply that no foreigners entered. Possibly this is due to the fact that the boxing tournament took place late in September, and many of the foreign athletes may have returned to Europe.

The most memorable feat at the 1904 boxing championships was performed by Oliver Kirk who won both the 115 pound and 125 pound classes, the only boxer in Olympic history to have won two gold medals at the same Olympics.