Light-Heavyweight (≤81 kilograms), Men

The 1982 World Champion was Cuba’s Pablo Romero, and in 1983 he won the Pan American Games gold medal, defeating American Evander Holyfield in the final. Romero was absent because of the Soviet-led boycott, leaving Holyfield as the favorite in Los Angeles. Holyfield rolled through his first three matches, none going the distance, and in the semi-finals faced New Zealand’s Kevin Barry, the 1982 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist. Near the end of the second round, Holyfield hammered Barry’s ribs with a right, and then unloaded with a left hook that floored Barry. The official, a Yugoslav named Gligorije Novičić, waved Holyfield to a neutral corner and then counted out Barry. He then turned to Holyfield and disqualified him for a purported late hit, saying he had told him to break prior to the left hook. Films did seem to confirm this, but even Barry told Holyfield that “You won the fight fair and square.” The pro-American crowd went crazy, and Novičić had to receive a police escort to exit the arena. Barry had won, but could not fight in the finals because he had been knocked out and amateur rules prohibit a knocked out boxer from fighting for 28 days. This gave the gold medal to Ante Josipović, who like Novičić, was from Yugoslavia. During the victory ceremony, Josipović pulled Holyfield up to the top step of the podium. Josipović turned professional in 1990, fighting through 1995, and retiring after losing two bouts for the Croatian professional cruiserweight title. Holyfield turned professional right after the Los Angeles Olympics. Always in superb condition, with a chiseled body, he continued to fight through 2011, winning multiple world titles in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. His pro record at the end of 2011 was 44 wins, 10 losses, and 2 draws. Pablo Romero never got to box at the Olympics as Cuba would boycott again in 1988, but he won the World Championship once again in 1986, and repeated as Pan American champion in 1987.