Bantamweight (≤54 kilograms), Men

Arnoldo Pares of Argentina was considered by many as the favourite, having lost just five of his 195 amateur bouts. Future world professional champion, Vic Toweel of South Africa, lost to Pares in the opening match, but Pares was not to match the achievements of his flyweight and heavyweight team-mates and was defeated by Australia’s Jimmy Carruthers in the second round. Carruthers was unfortunate to sustain an eye injury in that match and had to withdraw from the tournament.

The beneficiary of Carruthers’ misfortune was the Hungarian boxer Tibor Csik and he proved able to maximize his opportunity. The Hungarian used his speed and mobility to outscore Italy’s Gianni Zuddas in the final.

Csik left Hungary and lived in Australia until his death in 1976. Juan Venegas became the first Puerto Rican to stand on the Olympic podium when he defeated his Spanish opponent in the bronze medal match.

In 1950, Vic Towell became the first South African to hold a universally recognised world professional title after defeating Manuel Ortiz. After four defences, he lost to Jimmy Carruthers on a first round knockout in a bout refereed by 1924 Olympic bantamweight champion, Willy Smith. Carruthers had an unusual ally helping him to weigh inside the bantamweight limit – after his retirement he was found to have been carrying a 30 foot long tapeworm inside him.