| | Event type

Light-Heavyweight, Freestyle (≤87 kilograms), Men

Date	29 – 31 July 1948 — 10:00-13:30-18:00-23:30 (all days)
Status	Olympic
Location	Empress Hall, Earls Court Exhibition Centre, Kensington, London
Participants	15 from 15 countries
Format	Elimination by bad points. Win by fall = 0 points; win by decision = 1 point; loss by 2-1 decision = 2 points; loss by 3-0 decision = 3 points; loss by fall = 3 points. Three judges gave decisions, thus all decisions were either 2-1 or 3-0. Five bad points eliminated a wrestler.

At the 1946 European Championships, Sweden’s Bengt Fahlkvist had defeated Switzerland’s Fritz Stöckli and the two were both in London for this class. After five rounds, they were unbeaten, but so was American Henry Wittenberg. In a round-robin final round, all three matches went to split decisions, but Wittenberg won both bouts to win the gold medal, with Stöckli defeating Fahlkvist for the silver medal. Stöckli would later compete in the 1952 Winter Olympics in bobsledding, placing fourth with the Swiss four-man bob. Fahlkvist returned to the 1952 Summer Olympics, wrestling that time in Greco-Roman as a heavyweight, where he tied for sixth. Wittenberg would win the US AAU title seven times and at Helsinki in 1952, won the silver medal in this class. He was also a two-time champion at the Maccabiah Games.

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	RE	Bad Points
1	Henry Wittenberg	USA	–	–	Gold
2	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	–	–	Silver
3	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	–	–	Bronze
=4	Fernand Payette	CAN	–	–
=4	Muharrem Candaş	TUR	–	–
6	Pat Morton	RSA	–	–
AC	Karel Istaz	BEL	Eliminated r3/8	6
AC	Johnny Sullivan	GBR	Eliminated r3/8	6
AC	Spyros Defteraios	GRE	Eliminated r3/8	6
AC	Oscar Verona	ITA	Eliminated r3/8	6
AC	József Tarányi	HUN	Eliminated r3/8	7
AC	Ragab El-Zaim	EGY	Eliminated r2/8	6
AC	Pekka Mellavuo	FIN	Eliminated r2/8	6
AC	Robert Landesmann	FRA	Eliminated r2/8	6
AC	Mansour Mir Ghavami	IRI	Eliminated r2/8	6

Round One (29 July 1948)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Fernand Payette	CAN	0
=1	Spyros Defteraios	GRE	0
=1	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	0
=4	Johnny Sullivan	GBR	1
=4	Pat Morton	RSA	1
=4	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	1
=4	Muharrem Candaş	TUR	1
=4	Henry Wittenberg	USA	1
=9	Karel Istaz	BEL	3
=9	Ragab El-Zaim	EGY	3
=9	Pekka Mellavuo	FIN	3
=9	Robert Landesmann	FRA	3
=9	József Tarányi	HUN	3
=9	Mansour Mir Ghavami	IRI	3
=9	Oscar Verona	ITA	3

Match #1	Fernand Payette	CAN	fall (8:40)	Robert Landesmann	FRA
Match #2	Spyros Defteraios	GRE	fall (6:04)	Ragab El-Zaim	EGY
Match #3	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	decision (3-0)	Oscar Verona	ITA
Match #4	Pat Morton	RSA	decision (3-0)	Mansour Mir Ghavami	IRI
Match #5	Muharrem Candaş	TUR	decision (3-0)	Karel Istaz	BEL
Match #6	Johnny Sullivan	GBR	decision (3-0)	József Tarányi	HUN
Match #7	Henry Wittenberg	USA	decision (3-0)	Pekka Mellavuo	FIN
Match #8	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	bye

Round Two (30 July 1948)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Fernand Payette	CAN	0
=1	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	0
3	Henry Wittenberg	USA	1
=4	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	2
=4	Muharrem Candaş	TUR	2
=6	Karel Istaz	BEL	3
=6	Spyros Defteraios	GRE	3
=6	Oscar Verona	ITA	3
=9	Johnny Sullivan	GBR	4
=9	József Tarányi	HUN	4
=9	Pat Morton	RSA	4
=12	Ragab El-Zaim	EGY	6	eliminated
=12	Pekka Mellavuo	FIN	6	eliminated
=12	Robert Landesmann	FRA	6	eliminated
=12	Mansour Mir Ghavami	IRI	6	eliminated

Match #1	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	fall (1:06)	Robert Landesmann	FRA
Match #2	Fernand Payette	CAN	fall (2:07)	Spyros Defteraios	GRE
Match #3	Oscar Verona	ITA	fall (8:51)	Ragab El-Zaim	EGY
Match #4	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	decision (3-0)	Pat Morton	RSA
Match #5	József Tarányi	HUN	decision (3-0)	Mansour Mir Ghavami	IRI
Match #6	Henry Wittenberg	USA	fall (0:47)	Johnny Sullivan	GBR
Match #7	Muharrem Candaş	TUR	decision (3-0)	Pekka Mellavuo	FIN
Match #8	Karel Istaz	BEL	bye

Round Three (30 July 1948)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
1	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	0
=2	Fernand Payette	CAN	1
=2	Henry Wittenberg	USA	1
=4	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	2
=4	Muharrem Candaş	TUR	2
6	Pat Morton	RSA	5	eliminated
=7	Karel Istaz	BEL	6	eliminated
=7	Johnny Sullivan	GBR	6	eliminated
=7	Spyros Defteraios	GRE	6	eliminated
=7	Oscar Verona	ITA	6	eliminated
11	József Tarányi	HUN	7	eliminated

Match #1	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	fall (1:20)	Karel Istaz	BEL
Match #2	Fernand Payette	CAN	decision (3-0)	Oscar Verona	ITA
Match #3	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	fall (0:38)	Spyros Defteraios	GRE
Match #4	Pat Morton	RSA	decision (2-1)	Johnny Sullivan	GBR
Match #5	Henry Wittenberg	USA	fall (2:20)	József Tarányi	HUN
Match #6	Muharrem Candaş	TUR	bye

Round Four (31 July 1948)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	1
=1	Henry Wittenberg	USA	1
3	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	2
=4	Fernand Payette	CAN	4
=4	Muharrem Candaş	TUR	4

Match #1	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	decision (2-1)	Muharrem Candaş	TUR
Match #2	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	fall (7:21)	Fernand Payette	CAN
Match #3	Henry Wittenberg	USA	bye

Round Five (31 July 1948)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	1
=1	Henry Wittenberg	USA	1
3	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	2
=4	Fernand Payette	CAN	7	eliminated
=4	Muharrem Candaş	TUR	7	eliminated

Match #1	Henry Wittenberg	USA	fall (7:38)	Muharrem Candaş	TUR
Match #2	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	fall (2:26)	Fernand Payette	CAN
Match #3	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	bye

Round Six (31 July 1948)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
1	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	1
2	Henry Wittenberg	USA	2
3	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	4

Match #1	Henry Wittenberg	USA	decision (2-1)	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE
Match #2	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	bye

Round Seven (31 July 1948)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	2
=1	Henry Wittenberg	USA	2
3	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	6	eliminated

Match #1	Fritz Stöckli	SUI	decision (2-1)	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE
Match #2	Henry Wittenberg	USA	bye

Final Round (31 July 1948)

Match #1	Henry Wittenberg	USA	decision (2-1)	Fritz Stöckli	SUI