Light-Flyweight (≤48 kilograms), Men

In the first round, only 10 of 16 matches were contested, as there was one bye, and five fighters were withdrawn by their countries because of the African boycott. The favorite was the Cuban, Jorge Hernández, who had won the 1974 World Championships and the 1975 Pan American Games. He made it to the final, although surviving a close 3-2 decision in the semis over Korea’s Park Chan-Hui. In the final he faced a North Korean, Li Byong-Uk, and won a majority decision. Li’s silver was the second consecutive silver medal in this class by a North Korean, after Kim U-Gil had lost in the 1972 final. Li would return in 1980 to win a bronze medal in the class. At Montréal he had made it to the final by a TKO over Thailand’s Payao Poontarat, the first Thai boxer to win an Olympic medal. Poontarat turned professional, something not available to the two finalists from Communist nations, and in 1983 became WBC super-flyweight world champion. He held the title for only a few months and retired after losing his final three fights in 1984-85.