Flyweight (≤51 kilograms), Men

The 2007 World Champion was the United States’ Rau’Shee Warren, who had also won bronze at the 2005 Worlds, which were won by Korea’s Lee Ok-Seong. But boxing is one of the few Olympic sports which has an open draw with no seeding, and the two world champions were drawn against each other in the first round, Lee surviving a close battle by decision, 9-8. But he went out in the second round against Tunisia’s Walid Cherif, the 2003 All-Africa Games champion. This left the draw open with Thailand’s 2007 world runner-up and 2003 World Champion Somjit Jongjohor the best known fighter remaining. Jongjohor advanced to the final with easy victories by decision, and faced Cuba’s Andry Laffita. Laffita had won several silver medals in international competition, at the 2005 World Championships, where he beat Jongjohor in round one, 16-14, and in the 2005 and 2008 World Cup. He added to that list in Beijing, losing the final to Jongjohor by decision, 8-2.