Flyweight (≤51 kilograms), Men

Although he had never previously boxed outside South America, the reputation of Pascual Pérez as a vicious puncher came before him, and he confirmed this reputation with a series of impressive displays that brought him the Olympic title.

The surprise of the division was the Italian southpaw, Spartaco Bandinelli, who eliminated the reigning European champion Luis Martínez of Spain in the quarter-finals, but Bandinelli could not match the aggression and power of the Argentine in the Final. Pérez started carefully, scored freely with his right hand in the second round, and held off the finishing burst of his opponent. Bandinelli’s chances were not helped by his tendency to use the open glove.

Pérez’s most difficult opponent turned out to be officialdom, as he was briefly disqualified from the tournament when he was confused with his bantamweight teammate Arnoldo Parés, and thought to be well overweight. Thankfully, the mistake was quickly rectified. Han Su-An also created his own piece of history, as he won the bronze medal box-off and so took Korea’s first boxing medal.

Pérez would go on to be of the all-time greats of the flyweight division, and would hold the professional World title between 1954 and 1960. The winner of 84 of his 92 pro fights, boxing experts rate him alongside Miguel Canto and Jimmy Wilde as the greatest flyweights in history.