Boxing at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Super heavyweight

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Super heavyweight boxing
at the Games of the XXIV Olympiad
Venue
Chamshil Students' Gymnasium
Dates22 September – 2 October
Competitors17 from 17 nations
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Lennox Lewis  Canada
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Riddick Bowe  United States
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Aleksandr Miroshnichenko  Soviet Union
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Janusz Zarenkiewicz  Poland
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Boxing at the
1988 Summer Olympics
Light flyweightmen
Flyweightmen
Bantamweightmen
Featherweightmen
Lightweightmen
Light welterweightmen
Welterweightmen
Light middleweightmen
Middleweightmen
Light heavyweightmen
Heavyweightmen
Super heavyweightmen

The men's super heavyweight event was part of the boxing programme at the 1988 Summer Olympics. The weight class allowed boxers of more than 91 kilograms to compete. The competition was held from 22 September to 2 October 1988. 17 boxers from 17 nations competed.[1]

Future world heavyweight champion 23-year-old Lennox Lewis of Canada defeated 21-year-old Riddick Bowe of the US in a controversial final.[2][failed verification]

Background

The super heavyweight event of the 1988 Olympics was weakened by the absence of a Cuban boxer. Teófilo Stevenson, a veteran three-time Olympic champion whose first Olympics were back in 1972, did not retire anticipating these Olympics.[3] He announced his retirement shortly after the Cuban government decided to boycott the Games. He was 36 years of age in 1988. In contrast, future finalists Lewis and Bowe were rather young, 23 and 21 years old respectively. Possible Cuban alternate Jorge Luis González, 24, had defeated both Bowe and Lewis at the 1987 Pan American Games.[4]

It was predicted that the gold medal would be contested between the North Americans Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe and Europeans Ulli Kaden and Alex Miroshnichenko.[1]

Medalists

Gold Lennox Lewis
 Canada
Silver Riddick Bowe
 United States
Bronze Aleksandr Miroshnichenko
 Soviet Union
Bronze Janusz Zarenkiewicz
 Poland

Results

The following boxers took part in the event:[1]

Rank Name Country
1 Lennox Lewis  Canada
2 Riddick Bowe  United States
3T Aleksandr Miroshnichenko  Soviet Union
3T Janusz Zarenkiewicz  Poland
5T
Kim Yu-hyeon
  South Korea
5T Peter Hrivňák  Czechoslovakia
5T Ulli Kaden  East Germany
5T Andreas Schnieders  West Germany
9T Ali Al-Baluchi  Kuwait
9T Mohamed Hammad  Sudan
9T Petar Stoimenov  Bulgaria
9T Biko Botowamungu  Austria
9T
Crispine Odera
  Kenya
9T Aziz Salihu  Yugoslavia
9T Harold Arroyo  Puerto Rico
9T Ovwigbo Uba  Nigeria
17T Tshibalabala Kadima  Zaire

First round

Second round

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Final

Bowe was the more effective fighter in the first round, landing 33 of 94 punches thrown (34%) while Lewis landed 14 of 67 (21%). In the first round the referee from East Germany gave Bowe two cautions for headbutts and deducted a point for a third headbutt. Commentator Ferdie Pacheco disagreed with the deduction, saying they did not hit heads. In the second round, Lewis landed several hard punches. The referee gave Bowe two standing eight counts and waved the fight off after the second one, even though Bowe seemed able to continue. Pacheco disagreed with the stoppage, calling it "very strange", but Marv Albert said Bowe took "a pounding."[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Boxing at the 1988 Seoul Summer Games: Men's Super Heavyweight". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  2. ^ "The Seoul Olympics Boxing Ends in Controversy". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  3. ^ "The champ retires at 55". Prisma world news review. 6 (9): 1. July 1988.
  4. ISSN 0011-2593
    .
  5. ^ "Lennox Lewis vs Riddick Bowe 88 Olympic Final". Retrieved 3 May 2017.
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