Bantamweight (≤54 kilograms), Men

Cuba’s Guillermo Rigondeaux came to Sydney with no significant international experience, but he would soon gain it. Rigondeaux raced thru this field to easily win the gold medal, defeating Russia’s Raimkul Malakhbekov in the final, who was World Champion in 1995 and 1997. It was the first of many titles for Rigondeaux, who would win the World Championship in 2001 and 2005, repeat as Olympic bantamweight champion in 2004, and win the 2003 Pan American Games and the 2005 World Cup.

Scheduled to compete at the 2007 Pan American Games, and considered one of the greatest amateur fighters of all-time, Rigondeaux defected while in Brazil and settled in the United States, turning professional. He quickly became as dominant as a pro, winning the WBA super-bantamweight title in 2010, and remaining undefeated through early 2012. Malakhbekov won the 2002 European amateur title, which he had also won back in 1993, and then retired.