Light-Middleweight (≤71 kilograms), Men

The favorite in this class was someone who had not fought much at this weight, Juan Hernández of Cuba. Hernández was a silver medalist at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics as a welterweight, and was World Champion in 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1999, also winning Pan American Games gold medals in 1991 and 1999. He was expected to be challenged by the 1999 World Champion in this class, Romania’s Marian Simion. But another top fighter was Kazakhstan’s Yermakhan Ibraimov, bronze medalist in 1996, and bronze medalist at the 1999 World Championships, and silver medalist in 1997.

Ibraimov and Hernández met in the quarter-finals with Ibraimov winning a comfortable decision, 16-9. He then defeated American Jermain Taylor in the semis to make it to the finals against Simion. The final was very close, with Ibraimov winning 25-23 for the gold medal.

Simion came from Romania’s top boxing family. His father Gheorghe Simion competed at the 1984 Olympics, and his brother, Dorel Simion won a welterweight bronze medal in Sydney. Jermain Taylor turned professional and moved to the top ranks, winning all the major middleweight crowns in 2005 when he defeated Bernard Hopkins.