Heavyweight (>175 pounds), Men

Only ten men contested the heavyweight division in Amsterdam but the small field still had a touch of quality about it. All three medalists from the previous year’s European Championships were present as was the Norwegian Sørsdal, who had won medals at the Games of 1920 and 1924. The Netherlands were represented by Sam Olij, who had carried the host nation’s flag at the opening ceremony.

At the quarter-final stage the result of the 1927 European final was repeated as Sweden’s Nils Ramm defeated the German entrant, Hans Schönrath. Olij also departed at this stage, beaten by Argentina’s Arturo Rodríguez. Rodríguez had fought as a light-heavyweight in Paris in 1924 without success but was an improved fighter in Amsterdam. Rodríguez and Ramm met in the final, an excellent first round would be the deciding factor in the fight which meant that Argentina would win two boxing titles in the space of thirty minutes. Soon after the Games, Rodríguez retired from boxing but he was not lost to the world of sport; he was later to become captain of Argentina’s national rugby team.