Flyweight (≤51 kilograms), Men

Cuba was thought to have the two best boxers in this class, as Douglas Rodríguez had won the 1974 World Championships, but he was bested in the Cuban trials by Ramón Duvalon, who had won the 1975 Pan American Games title. Duvalon had an easy time in getting to the finals, winning three matches without being tested, after a walkover in the second round. That was not unusual, as 7 of 16 bouts in round two were not contested after withdrawals due to the African boycott. In the final, Duvalon met unheralded American Leo Randolph, an 18-year-old high school student with no international experience, although he had won the 1975 Golden Gloves and the 1976 AAU Championship. Surprisingly Randolph won a close decision, 3-2, to win the gold medal. Randolph won the first of five gold medals in boxing for the United States at the Montréal Olympics. He turned professional after the Games, and in 1980 won the WBA super-bantamweight title. But in his first title defense, he lost by TKO to Sergio Víctor Palma and then retired from boxing, ending a short career with 17 wins and 2 losses.