Middleweight (≤75 kilograms), Men

The Soviet entrants in the higher weight divisions were all considered to be high class competitors and Gennady Shatkov, the reigning European champion, was certainly no exception. A powerful and aggressive fighter, Shatkov had a relatively easy passage, which included a quarter-final walkover, through to the final at Melbourne. The surprise of the tournament was a crude but strong fighter from Chile. Ramón Tapia had little experience of fighting outside his native country and was sent to a tournament earlier in 1956 in Uruguay with the knowledge that only a tournament victory would be good enough to allow him a place of the Chilean national team. He duly won and was sent to Melbourne. Tapia knocked out his first two opponents then reached the final when Gilbert Chapron was not fit to contest his semi-final. Reality kicked in during the final and the Chilean was punished for his recklessness by being knocked out in the first round of his contest with Shatkov. This was the first time Tapia had suffered this fate.

Four years later Shatkov contested the light-heavyweight division. His dreams of a second gold medal were thwarted in his second match by a young man called Cassius Clay.