| | Event type
Heavyweight, Freestyle (>161 lbs [73 kg]), Men
| Date | 23 July 1908 — 10:00-18:00 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | White City Stadium, London | |
| Participants | 11 from 3 countries | |
| Format | Single-elimination tournament. | |
The Irish-born George “Con” O’Kelly had been British heavyweight champion in 1907, but had lost the 1908 title to Edward Barrett. At the Olympics, O’Kelly and Barrett met in the semi-finals and O’Kelly turned the tables with a quick fall. O’Kelly’s son, Con, Jr., boxed for Great Britain in the heavyweight class at the 1924 Olympics and later turned professional.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Con O'Kelly, Sr. |  GBR | Gold | ||
| 2 | – | Jacob Gundersen |  NOR | Silver | ||
| 3 | – | Edmond Barrett | GBR | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 1679 | Ernest Nixson | GBR | |||
| =5 | – | Louis Bruce | GBR | |||
| =5 | – | Frederick Humphreys | GBR | |||
| =5 | 1507 | Henry Foskett | GBR | |||
| =5 | 1400 | Cyril Brown | GBR | |||
| =9 | – | Lee Talbott |  USA | |||
| =9 | 1367 | Alfred Banbrook | GBR | |||
| =9 | 1828 | William West | GBR | |||
| – | Fred Harman | GBR | ||||
| 1174 | Carl Andersson |  SWE | ||||
| 1198 | Harry Challstorp | SWE |
Round One
| Date | 23 July 1908 |
|---|
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 23 Jul | Louis Bruce | GBR | Fall (3:25) | Alfred Banbrook | GBR | |
| Match #2 | 23 Jul | Ernest Nixson | GBR | ||||
| Match #3 | 23 Jul | Jacob Gundersen | NOR | Fall (6:20) | William West | GBR | |
| Match #4 | 23 Jul | Frederick Humphreys | GBR | ||||
| Match #5 | 23 Jul | Con O'Kelly, Sr. | GBR | Fall (1:20) | Lee Talbott | USA | |
| Match #6 | 23 Jul | Henry Foskett | GBR | ||||
| Match #7 | 23 Jul | Edmond Barrett | GBR | ||||
| Match #8 | 23 Jul | Cyril Brown | GBR |
Quarter-Finals
| Date | 23 July 1908 |
|---|
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 23 Jul | Ernest Nixson | GBR | Fall (3:50) | Louis Bruce | GBR | |
| Match #2 | 23 Jul | Jacob Gundersen | NOR | Decision | Frederick Humphreys | GBR | |
| Match #3 | 23 Jul | Con O'Kelly, Sr. | GBR | Fall (4:05) | Henry Foskett | GBR | |
| Match #4 | 23 Jul | Edmond Barrett | GBR | Fall (3:20) | Cyril Brown | GBR |
Semi-Finals
| Date | 23 July 1908 |
|---|
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 23 Jul | Jacob Gundersen | NOR | Fall (9:37) | Ernest Nixson | GBR | |
| Match #2 | 23 Jul | Con O'Kelly, Sr. | GBR | Fall (2:14) | Edmond Barrett | GBR |
Final Round
| Date | 23 July 1908 |
|---|
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match 1/2 | 23 Jul | Con O'Kelly, Sr. | GBR | 2-0 (falls 13:27/3:35) | Jacob Gundersen | NOR | |
| Match 3/4 | 23 Jul | Edmond Barrett | GBR | 2-0 (falls 3:04/4:52) | Ernest Nixson | GBR |