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1952  Helsinki Summer Olympics

1952 Summer Olympics - The Results (Boxing)

Boxing at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games

 

Host City: Helsinki, Finland
Date Started: July 28, 1952
Date Finished: August 2, 1952
Events: 10

Participants: 249 (249 men and 0 women) from 43 countries
Youngest Participant: USA Edson Brown (17 years, 74 days)
Oldest Participant: URS Sergey Shcherbakov (34 years, 40 days)
Most Medals (Athlete): 40 athletes with 1 medal
Most Medals (Country): URS Soviet Union (6 medals)

  

Overview

Boxing at the 1952 Olympics was held at the Messuhalli in Helsinki, which also hosted gymnastics and wrestling events. The Soviet Union entered the 1952 Olympics for the first time, but did not win any of the classes, although they did win two silver and four bronze medals. The tournament was dominated by the American boxers, who won five classes. One went to [Floyd Patterson] in the middleweight class, who would later become world professional heavyweight champion. Patterson would lose that title in a match against Sweden’s [Ingemar Johansson], although Patterson would regain the title in a re-match one year later. Johansson also “medalled” in Helsinki, losing in the final of the heavyweight class to American [Ed Sanders]. Sanders turned professional after a short stint in the Navy, but in his ninth professional bout, he tragically died from injuries sustained during the fight.

Now saying that the Soviets won four bronze medals and that Johansson won a silver medal rather over-simplifies the matter. In fact Johansson was initally not awarded a medal, because he was disqualified in the second round of the final bout for passivity. But Johansson eventually was awarded the medal by the IOC in 1982.

In fact, no bronze medals were awarded in 1952. Previously there had always been a match between the losing semi-finalists for the bronze medal. And starting in 1956, and since that time, the losing semi-finalists would both be awarded bronze medals, as the boxing officials did not think it safe that the losing boxers met again only a day or two after their losing bout. But in 1952, the Official Report stated, “As recommended by the AIBA, gold and silver medals only were awarded. The losers in the semi-finals were not, as previously, matched for bronze medals; instead, both were awarded diplomas. Their national flags were also hoisted at Victory Ceremonies. This decision in regard to medals afterwards gave rise to criticism.”

This decision was made at the 2nd AIBA Congress in 1950 in København. In 1951, the IOC agreed to eliminating the match for bronze medals but specifically stated that no bronze medals should then be awarded. In early 1970 the Finnish Boxing Association proposed awarding bronze medals to the losing semi-finalists from 1952. The idea was supported by [Erik von Frenckell], Finnish IOC Member and Chairman of the 1952 Organizing Committee. The AIBA approved this and on 28 March the Finnish Olympic Committee wrote to [Monique Berlioux], with the IOC, asking for approval, which appears to have been tacitly given. All 20 semi-finalists were invited to a ceremony in Helsinki but only six were able to appear, four of them the losing Finnish semi-finalists, along with [Günther Heidemann] of West Germany and [Boris Nikolov] of Bulgaria.

Final results for the boxing competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics. The events were held at Messuhalli. From this edition of the Olympic Games, the bronze medal match was abolished

  

Medal summary

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Flyweight
(−51 kg)
Nate Brooks
 United States
Edgar Basel
 Germany
Anatoli Bulakov
 Soviet Union
Willie Toweel
 South Africa
Bantamweight
(−54 kg)
Pentti Hämäläinen
 Finland
John McNally
 Ireland
Kang Joon-Ho
 South Korea
Gennady Garbuzov
 Soviet Union
Featherweight
(−57 kg)
Ján Zachara
 Czechoslovakia
Sergio Caprari
 Italy
Joseph Ventaja
 France
Leonard Leisching
 South Africa
Lightweight
(−60 kg)
Aureliano Bolognesi
 Italy
Aleksy Antkiewicz
 Poland
Gheorghe Fiat
 Romania
Erkki Pakkanen
 Finland
Light welterweight
(−63.5 kg)
Charles Adkins
 United States
Viktor Mednov
 Soviet Union
Bruno Visintin
 Italy
Erkki Mallenius
 Finland
Welterweight
(−67 kg)
Zygmunt Chychla
 Poland
Sergei Scherbakov
 Soviet Union
Günther Heidemann
 Germany
Victor Jörgensen
 Denmark
Light middleweight
(−71 kg)
László Papp
 Hungary
Theunis van Schalkwyk
 South Africa
Boris Tishin
 Soviet Union
Eladio Herrera
 Argentina
Middleweight
(−75 kg)
Floyd Patterson
 United States
Vasile Tiță
 Romania
Boris Nikolov
 Bulgaria
Stig Sjölin
 Sweden
Light heavyweight
(−81 kg)
Norvel Lee
 United States
Antonio Pacenza
 Argentina
Anatoly Perov
 Soviet Union
Harry Siljander
 Finland
Heavyweight
(+81 kg)
Ed Sanders
 United States
Ingemar Johansson
 Sweden
Ilkka Koski
 Finland
Andries Nieman
 South Africa
  

Medal table

 
Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  United States (USA) 5 0 0 5
2  Italy (ITA) 1 1 1 3
3  Poland (POL) 1 1 0 2
4  Finland (FIN) 1 0 4 5
5  Czechoslovakia (TCH) 1 0 0 1
 Hungary (HUN) 1 0 0 1
7  Soviet Union (URS) 0 2 4 6
8  South Africa (RSA) 0 1 3 4
9  Argentina (ARG) 0 1 1 2
 Germany (GER) 0 1 1 2
 Romania (ROU) 0 1 1 2
 Sweden (SWE) 0 1 1 2
13  Ireland (IRL) 0 1 0 1
14  Bulgaria (BUL) 0 0 1 1
 Denmark (DEN) 0 0 1 1
 France (FRA) 0 0 1 1
 South Korea (KOR) 0 0 1 1
Totals (17 nations) 10 10 20 40
 

Men's Flyweight

 Host City: Helsinki, Finland
Venue(s): Exhibition Hall I, Helsinki
Date Started: July 28, 1952
Date Finished: August 2, 1952
Format: Single elimination tournament.

Competitors 27from 27 nations

 

Summary

[Nate Brooks]’ Olympic dream came close to ending before he earned a place on the US team to Helsinki. During a regional preliminary bout of the US Olympic trials he suffered a deep cut on his eyebrow and only narrowly survived a medical inspection. Although Brooks had a growing reputation inside America, he lacked international experience and was not expected to challenge the Soviet star [Anatoly Bulakov]. When Bulakov was surprisingly outpointed by German fighter [Edgar Basel] the draw opened up for Brooks and, despite a scare against Romania’s [Mircea Dobrescu] in the quarter-final, a string of impressive displays of counterpunching earned him the Olympic title. Like so many fighters before and after Brooks aspired to a career in professional boxing. Although he started strongly as a pro and was North American champion his career faded away with a string of defeats. Bronze medallist [Willie Toweel] was a member of a famous South African boxing family which produced 13 professional fighters.

The men's flyweight event was part of the boxing programme at the 1952 Summer Olympics. The weight class was the lightest contested, and allowed boxers of up to 51 kilograms. The competition was held from 28 July to 2 August 1952. 27 boxers from 27 nations competed

 

Results

Winner NOC Result Loser NOC
First Round (July 28 & 29)
Mircea Dobrescu Romania 2 – 1 Yoshitaro Nagata Japan
Alfred Zima Austria 2 – 1 Pablo Lugo Puerto Rico
Nate Brooks United States 3 – 0 Risto Luukkonen Finland
Thorbjørn Clausen Norway 2 – 1 Kjeld Steen Denmark
Willie Toweel South Africa 3 – 0 Kornél Molnár Hungary
Leslie Donovan Perera Handunge Ceylon 2 – 1 Jesús Tello Mexico
Roland Johansson Sweden 2 – 1 Alberto Barenghi Argentina
Han Soo-An South Korea TKO 1R. Helmut Hofmann Saar
Edgar Basel Germany 3 – 0 Henryk Kukier Poland
Aristide Pozzali Italy 3 – 0 Andrew Reddy Ireland
Dai Dower Great Britain 3 – 0 Abdel Amid Boutefnouchet France
Anatoli Bulakov Soviet Union 3 – 0 Hein van der Zee Netherlands
Al Asuncion Philippines TKO 2R. Basil Thompson Burma
Sakti Mazumdar India DNS Nguyen Van Cua Vietnam
Second Round (July 30)
Thorbjørn Clausen Norway BYE
Edgar Basel Germany BYE
Dai Dower Great Britain 3 – 0 Leslie Donovan Perera Handunge Ceylon
Anatoli Bulakov Soviet Union 3 – 0 Aristide Pozzali Italy
Mircea Dobrescu Romania 3 – 0 Roland Johansson Sweden
Nate Brooks United States 3 – 0 Alfred Zima Austria
Han Soo-An South Korea 3 – 0 Sakti Mazumdar India
Willie Toweel South Africa 2 – 1 Al Asuncion Philippines
Third Round (July 31)
Willie Toweel South Africa 3 – 0 Han Soo-An South Korea
Anatoli Bulakov Soviet Union 2 – 1 Dai Dower Great Britain
Edgar Basel Germany TKO 3R. Thorbjørn Clausen Norway
Nate Brooks United States 2 – 1 Mircea Dobrescu Romania
Semi-final (August 1)
Edgar Basel Germany 2 – 1 Anatoli Bulakov Soviet Union
Nate Brooks United States 3 – 0 Willie Toweel South Africa
Final (August 2)
Nate Brooks United States 3 – 0 Edgar Basel Germany
 

Final Standings

 
Rank Athlete Age Team NOC Medal  
1 Nate Brooks 18 United States USA Gold  
2 Edgar Basel 21 Germany GER Silver  
3T Anatoly Bulakov 22 Soviet Union URS Bronze  
3T Willie Toweel 18 South Africa RSA Bronze  
5T Han Su-An 26 South Korea KOR    
5T Dai Dower 19 Great Britain GBR    
5T Torbjørn Clausen 21 Norway NOR    
5T Mircea Dobrescu 21 Romania ROU    
9T Basil Thompson 17 Myanmar MYA    
9T Leslie Handunge 31 Sri Lanka SRI    
9T Aristide Pozzali 20 Italy ITA    
9T Roland Johansson 21 Sweden SWE    
9T Alfred Zima 20 Austria AUT    
9T Sakti Mazumdar 20 India IND    
9T Al Asuncion 22 Philippines PHI    
16T Yoshitaro Nagata 22 Japan JPN    
16T Pablo Lugo 19 Puerto Rico PUR    
16T Risto Luukkonen 21 Finland FIN    
16T Kjeld Steen 27 Denmark DEN    
16T Kornel Molnár   Hungary HUN    
16T Jesús Tello 17 Mexico MEX    
16T Alberto Barenghi 22 Argentina ARG    
16T Helmut Hofmann 26 Saar SAA    
16T Henryk Kukier 22 Poland POL    
16T Ando Reddy 19 Ireland IRL    
16T Abdel Amid Boutefnouchet 20 France FRA    
16T Hein van der Zee 22 Netherlands NED  

 

 

Men's Bantamweight

 Host City: Helsinki, Finland
Venue(s): Exhibition Hall I, Helsinki
Date Started: July 28, 1952
Date Finished: August 2, 1952
Format: Single elimination tournament.

Competitors 23from 23 nations

 
 

Summary

Home boxer [Pentti Hämäläinen] was not unknown at the time of the 1952 Olympics since he was a bronze medallist at the previous year's European Championships, but there were other boxers who were more favoured to make an impression in Helsinki than the Finnish mechanic.

The Finn, inspired by the support of the home crowd, boxed beautifully to reach the final where he faced Ireland's first ever Olympic boxing finalist in the shape of Ulsterman [John McNally]. The Hämäläinen-McNally fight was a clash of styles with the Finn, the shorter man, attempting to crowd the taller, more mobile Irishman. Although the decision in favour of Hämäläinen was hugely popular inside the arena the Irish team were convinced their man had been harshly treated by the judges who split 2-1 against McNally.

Hämäläinen returned to the Olympics in 1956 to win a bronze medal before embarking on a professional career which petered out quickly. The boxer that later went on to gain the most fame, albeit in a tragic way, was American [Davey Moore]. He may only have been a quarter-finalist in Helsinki but he went to a glittering career as a professional and had a four-year reign as world featherweight champion. In 1963 he defended his title on live television against Sugar Ramos of Mexico. In the 8th round he was knocked down and in the process of falling struck his head against the bottom rope and suffered a brain stem injury. He fought on for a few rounds before the referee stopped but later collapsed in his dressing room. Moore slipped into a coma and died a few days later. His story was immortalised in the Bob Dylan song )Who Killed Davey Moore).

The men's bantamweight event was part of the boxing programme at the 1952 Summer Olympics. The weight class was the second-lightest contested, and allowed boxers of up to 54 kilograms. The competition was held from 28 July to 2 August 1952. 23 boxers from 23 nations competed

 

Results

Winner NOC Result Loser NOC
First Round (July 28 & 29)
Kang Joon-Ho South Korea BYE
Fazlollah Nikkhah Iran BYE
Davey Moore United States BYE
Egon Schidan Germany BYE
Vincenzo Dall'Osso Italy BYE
Ibrahim Abdrabbou Egypt BYE
John McNally Ireland BYE
Alejandro Ortuoste Philippines BYE
František Majdloch Czechoslovakia BYE
Angel Figueroa Puerto Rico 3 – 0 Tiến Vình Vietnam
Raul Macías Guevara Mexico 3 – 0 Angel Amaya Venezuela
Gennady Garbuzov Soviet Union 2 – 1 Jean Renard Belgium
Pentti Hämäläinen Finland 3 – 0 Thomas Nicholls Great Britain
Henryk Niedzwiedzki Poland TKO 1R Ronald Charles Gower Australia
Ion Zlătaru Romania DSQ 3R Antoine Martin France
Lennie von Graevenitz South Africa 2 – 1 Rómulo Parés Argentina
Second Round (July 30)
Kang Joon-Ho South Korea 3 – 0 Fazlollah Nickhah Iran
Davey Moore United States 3 – 0 Egon Schidan Germany
Vincenzo Dall'osso Italy 3 – 0 Ibrahim Abdrabbou Egypt
John McNally Ireland 3 – 0 Alejandro Ortuoste Philippines
František Majdloch Czechoslovakia 3 – 0 Angel Luis Figueroa Otero Puerto Rico
Gennady Garbuzov Soviet Union 3 – 0 Raul Macías Guevara Mexico
Pentti Hamalainen Finland 3 – 0 Henryk Niedzwiedzki Poland
Helmuth von Gravenitz South Africa 2 – 1 Ion Zlataru Romania
Third Round (July 31)
Gennady Garbuzov U.S.S.R 3 – 0 František Majdloch Czechoslovakia
Kang Joon-Ho South Korea 2 – 1 Davey Moore U.S.A
Pentti Hämäläinen Finland 3 – 0 Helmuth von Gravenitz South Africa
John McNally Ireland 3 – 0 Vincenzo Dall'osso Italy
Semi-final (August 1)
John McNally Ireland 3 – 0 Kang Joon-Ho South Korea
Pentti Hämäläinen Finland 3 – 0 Gennady Garbuzov Soviet Union
Final (August 2)
Pentti Hämäläinen Finland 2 – 1 John McNally Ireland
 

Final Standings

 
Rank Athlete Age Team NOC Medal  
1 Pentti Hämäläinen 22 Finland FIN Gold  
2 John McNally 19 Ireland IRL Silver  
3T Gang Jun-Ho 24 South Korea KOR Bronze  
3T Gennady Garbuzov 21 Soviet Union URS Bronze  
5T FrantiÅ¡ek Majdloch 22 Czechoslovakia TCH    
5T Davey Moore 18 United States USA    
5T Lennie von Graevenitz 17 South Africa RSA    
5T Vincenzo Dall'Osso 23 Italy ITA    
9T Fazlollah Nikkhah 21 Iran IRI    
9T Egon Schidan 21 Germany GER    
9T Ibrahim Abdrabbou 27 Egypt EGY    
9T Alejandro Ortuoste 21 Philippines PHI    
9T Angel Figueroa 22 Puerto Rico PUR    
9T Raúl Macías 17 Mexico MEX    
9T Henryk Niedźwiedzki 19 Poland POL    
9T Ion Zlătaru 24 Romania ROU    
17T Tiến Vình 31 South Vietnam VNM    
17T Angel Amaya 18 Venezuela VEN    
17T Jean Renard 20 Belgium BEL    
17T Tommy Nicholls 20 Great Britain GBR    
17T Ron Gower 23 Australia AUS    
17T Antoine Martin 19 France FRA    
17T Rómulo Parés 27 Argentina ARG  
 

Men's Featherweight

 Host City: Helsinki, Finland
Venue(s): Exhibition Hall I, Helsinki
Date Started: July 28, 1952
Date Finished: August 2, 1952
Format: Single elimination tournament.

Competitors 30from 30 nations

 

Summary

The featherweight division was the most closely contested at the Helsinki Olympics with over a third of the bouts being decided by a split decision of the judges. The man who survived the action unscathed was 23-year-old university student [Ján Zachara] of Czechoslovakia. Zachara survived three successive fights from quarter-final onwards when one of the judges decided he had lost whilst the other two declared him the victor. He seemed especially lucky to defeat European champion [Joseph Ventaja] in a hotly disputed semi-final bout. Zachara, a locksmith by profession, won the gold by defeating [Sergio Caprari] of Italy. This was the only major tournament title for the Slovakian Zachara who returned to unsuccessfully defend his title in 1956.

The men's featherweight event was part of the boxing programme at the 1952 Summer Olympics. The weight class allowed boxers of up to 57 kilograms to compete. The competition was held from 28 July to 2 August 1952. 30 boxers from 30 nations competed

 

Results

Winner NOC Result Loser NOC
First Round (July 28)
Sergio Caprari Italy BYE
Pentti Niinivuori Finland BYE
Lech Drogosz Poland 3 – 0 Kyar Ba Nyein Burma
Pedro Galasso Brazil 3 – 0 Toshihito Ishimaru Japan
Edson Brown United States 3 – 0 Benoy Bose India
Gheorghe Ilie Romania 3 – 0 Percival Lewis Great Britain
Joseph Ventaja France 2 – 1 Yury Sokolov Soviet Union
Sydney Greave Pakistan KO 2R Angel Leyes Argentina
Leonard Walters Canada 3 – 0 Salah El-Din Fatih Egypt
Willi Roth Germany 2 – 1 Donald McDonnell Australia
Leonard Leisching South Africa 3 – 0 Emmanuel Agassi Iran
Stevan Redli Yugoslavia TKO 2R Thomas Reddy Ireland
János Erdei Hungary 2 – 1 Georgi Malezanov Bulgaria
Kurt Schirra Saar 2 – 1 Luis Aranguren Venezuela
Ján Zachara Czechoslovakia 3 – 0 Åke Wärnström Sweden
Su Bung-Nan South Korea 3 – 0 Alfred Willommet Switzerland
Second Round (July 29 & 30)
Sergio Caprari Italy 2 – 1 Pentti Niinivuori Finland
Lech Drogosz Poland 3 – 0 Pedro Galasso Brazil
Edson Brown United States 3 – 0 Georghe Ilie Romania
Joseph Ventaja France 3 – 0 Sydney Greave Pakistan
Leonard Walters Canada 2 – 1 Willi Roth Germany
Leonard Leisching South Africa 3 – 0 Stevan Redli Yugoslavia
János Erdei Hungary 3 – 0 Kurt Schirra Saar
Ján Zachara Czechoslovakia 3 – 0 Su Bung-Nan South Korea
Third Round (July 31)
Leonard Leisching South Africa 3 – 0 Leonard Walters Canada
Sergio Caprari Italy 3 – 0 Lech Drogosz Poland
Ján Zachara Czechoslovakia 2 – 1 János Erdei Hungary
Joseph Ventaja France 3 – 0 Edson Brown United States
Semi-final (August 1)
Sergio Caprari Italy 2 – 1 Joseph Ventaja France
Ján Zachara Czechoslovakia 2 – 1 Leonard Leisching South Africa
Final (August 2)
Ján Zachara Czechoslovakia 2 – 1 Sergio Caprari Italy
 

Final Standings

 
Rank Athlete Age Team NOC Medal  
1 Ján Zachara 23 Czechoslovakia TCH Gold  
2 Sergio Caprari 20 Italy ITA Silver  
3T Joseph Ventaja 22 France FRA Bronze  
3T Len Leisching 17 South Africa RSA Bronze  
5T Len Walters 20 Canada CAN    
5T Lech Drogosz 19 Poland POL    
5T János Erdei 32 Hungary HUN    
5T Edson Brown 17 United States USA    
9T Pentti Niinivuori 20 Finland FIN    
9T Pedro Galasso 22 Brazil BRA    
9T Gheorghe Ilie 25 Romania ROU    
9T Sidney Greave 26 Pakistan PAK    
9T Willi Roth 22 Germany GER    
9T Stevan Redli 21 Yugoslavia YUG    
9T Kurt Schirra 20 Saar SAA    
9T Seo Byeong-Ran 30 South Korea KOR    
17T Nyein Nil Ba 28 Myanmar MYA    
17T Toshihito Ishimaru 21 Japan JPN    
17T Benoy Bose 22 India IND    
17T Percy Lewis 23 Great Britain GBR    
17T Yury Sokolov 23 Soviet Union URS    
17T Ángel Leyes 22 Argentina ARG    
17T Salah El-Din Fatih 28 Egypt EGY    
17T Don McDonnell 18 Australia AUS    
17T Emanoul Aghasi 21 Iran IRI    
17T Tommy Reddy 22 Ireland IRL    
17T Georgi Malezanov 25 Bulgaria BUL    
17T Luis Aranguren 21 Venezuela VEN    
17T Åke Wärnström 26 Sweden SWE    
17T Alfred Willommet 23 Switzerland SUI    
 

Men's Lightweight

 Host City: Helsinki, Finland
Venue(s): Exhibition Hall I, Helsinki
Date Started: July 28, 1952
Date Finished: August 2, 1952
Format: Single elimination tournament.

Competitors 27from 27 nations

 

Summary

An already open division was made even more open by the second rounds exits of fighters from the United States and Soviet Union and the decision of 1951 European champion [Bruno Visintin] to campaign in a higher weight category. The two men to contest the Olympic final were [Aleksy Antkiewicz], a Pole who been relatively untroubled in reaching the gold medal match, and Italian lightweight champion [Aureliano Bolognesi] whose route had been harder and had included a win over tournament favourite [Bobby Bickle] of America. The Italian was generally adjudged to have won the first round of the final, but the Pole won the second so the fight was still in the balance as they entered the third round. Inspired by the words of the trainer, Bolognesi made a desperate attempt to force the pace in the final minutes and this proved enough to tip the balance in favour of the Italian on the scorecards of two of the three judges.

The men's lightweight event was part of the boxing programme at the 1952 Summer Olympics. The weight class allowed boxers of up to 60 kilograms to compete. The competition was held from 28 July to 2 August 1952. 27 boxers from 27 nations competed.

 

Results

Winner NOC Result Loser NOC
First Round (July 29)
Erkki Pakkanen Finland BYE
Petros Nazarbegian Iran BYE
Vicente Matute Venezuela BYE
Muhammad Ali Pakistan BYE
Aureliano Bolognesi Italy BYE
Robert Bickle United States TKO 2R Basil Henricus Ceylon
István Juhász Hungary 3 – 0 Luis Albino Uruguay
Clayton Kenny Canada TKO 3R Niels Bertelsen Denmark
Hans-Werner Wohlers Germany 3 – 0 Lyubomir Markov Bulgaria
Aleksy Antkiewicz Poland 3 – 0 Benjamin Enríquez Philippines
Frederick Reardon Great Britain KO 3R Roger Cuche Switzerland
Aleksandr Zasukhin Soviet Union 2 – 1 Séraphin Ferrer France
Leopold Potesil Austria 3 – 0 Ju Sang-jeom South Korea
Américo Bonetti Argentina 3 – 0 Johnny van Rensburg South Africa
Gheorghe Fiat Romania 3 – 0 Mohi Din Hamaky Egypt
Kevin Martin Ireland 2 – 1 Marcel Van De Keere Belgium
Second Round (July 29 & 30)
Erkki Pakkanen Finland 3 – 0 Petros Nazarbegian Iran
Vicente Matute Venezuela KO 1R Mohammad Ali Pakistan
Aureliano Bolognesi Italy 2 – 1 Robert Bickle United States
István Juhász Hungary 2 – 1 Clayton Kenny Canada
Aleksy Antkiewicz Poland 3 – 0 Hans-Werner Wohlers Germany
Frederick Reardon Great Britain 3 – 0 Aleksandr Zasuhin Soviet Union
Americo Bonetti Argentina 3 – 0 Leopold Potesil Austria
Gheorghe Fiat Romania 3 – 0 Kevin Martin Ireland
Third Round (July 31)
Aleksy Antkiewicz Poland 3 – 0 Frederick Reardon Great Britain
Erkki Pakkanen Finland 3 – 0 Vicente Matute Venezuela
Gheorghe Fiat Romania 2 – 1 Americo Bonetti Argentina
Aureliano Bolognesi Italy 2 – 1 István Juhász Hungary
Semi-final (August 1)
Aureliano Bolognesi Italy 3 – 0 Erkki Pakkanen Finland
Aleksy Antkiewicz Poland Walk-over Gheorghe Fiat Romania
Final (August 2)
Aureliano Bolognesi Italy 2 – 1 Aleksy Antkiewicz Poland
 

Final Standings

 
Rank Athlete Age Team NOC Medal  
1 Aureliano Bolognesi 21 Italy ITA Gold  
2 Aleksy Antkiewicz 28 Poland POL Silver  
3T Gheorghe Fiat 23 Romania ROU Bronze  
3T Erkki Pakkanen 22 Finland FIN Bronze  
5T Freddie Reardon 21 Great Britain GBR    
5T Vicente Matute 19 Venezuela VEN    
5T Américo Bonetti 24 Argentina ARG    
5T István Juhász 21 Hungary HUN    
9T Petros Nazarbegian 25 Iran IRI    
9T Muhammad Ali 19 Pakistan PAK    
9T Bobby Bickle 23 United States USA    
9T Clayton Kenny 23 Canada CAN    
9T Hans-Werner Wohlers 18 Germany GER    
9T Aleksandr Zasukhin 23 Soviet Union URS    
9T Leopold Potesil 19 Austria AUT    
9T Kevin Martin 26 Ireland IRL    
17T Basil Henricus 29 Sri Lanka SRI    
17T Luis Albino 22 Uruguay URU    
17T Niels Bertelsen 26 Denmark DEN    
17T Lyubomir Markov 24 Bulgaria BUL    
17T Benjamin Enríquez 22 Philippines PHI    
17T Roger Cuche 23 Switzerland SUI    
17T Séraphin Ferrer 20 France FRA    
17T Ju Sang-Jeom 25 South Korea KOR    
17T Johnny van Rensburg 20 South Africa RSA    
17T Mohi Din Hamaky 23 Egypt EGY    
17T Marcel Van De Keere 21 Belgium BEL  
 

Men's Light-Welterweight

 Host City: Helsinki, Finland
Venue(s): Exhibition Hall I, Helsinki
Date Started: July 28, 1952
Date Finished: August 2, 1952
Format: Single elimination tournament.

Competitors 28from 28 nations

 

Summary

The 1952 Olympic Games marked the first shots in a sporting cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union that would last for over three decades. In boxing this rivalry came to a head in the light-welterweight division where the first ever USA-USSR final was fought out between [Chuck Adkins] and [Viktor Mednov] . In truth neither fighter had been troubled in their preliminary rounds as both reached the final via a series of unanimous points decisions and stoppages. Adkins, who arrived in Finland as understudy to Joe Reynolds to whom he had lost in the US trials, impressed the judges much as he had the US officials in pre-Games training, and won the decision over Mednov by a 2-1 split of the voting. Adkins, a former NCAA champion, went on to fight as a professional for five years without hitting the very top of his profession and also became the first black boxing coach at American collegiate level when he coached at San Jose State University.

The men's light welterweight event was part of the boxing programme at the 1952 Summer Olympics. It was the inaugural Olympic event for the weight class and it allowed boxers of up to 63.5 kilograms to compete. The competition was held from 28 July to 2 August 1952. 28 boxers from 28 nations competed

 

Results

Winner NOC Result Loser NOC
First Round (28 July)
Erkki Aarno Mallenius Finland BYE
Stanley Majid Burma BYE
Jean Paternotte Belgium BYE
Fernand Backes Luxemburg BYE
René Weissmann France 2 – 1 Leszek Kudłacik Poland
Pavle Šovljanski Yugoslavia 3 – 0 Béla Farkas Hungary
Francisc Ambrus Romania 3 – 0 Hans Petersen Denmark
Viktor Mednov Soviet Union TKO 2R Norman Jones Australia
Peter Waterman Great Britain 2 – 1 Oscar Gallardo Argentina
Alexander Webster South Africa 3 – 0 Herbert Schilling Germany
Charles Adkins United States TKO 1R Leif Hansen Norway
Salomon Carrizales Venezuela 2 – 1 Celestino Pinto Brazil
Piet van Klaveren Netherlands 2 – 1 Roy Keenan Canada
Terence Milligan Ireland 3 – 0 Ebrahim Afsharpour Iran
Juan Curet Puerto Rico KO 2R Sarkis Moussa Lebanon
Bruno Visintin Italy KO 2R Ernesto Porto Philippines
Second Round ( 29 & 30 July)
Erkki Aarno Mallenius Finland TKO 3R Stanley Majid Burma
Jean Louis Paternotte Belgium 3 – 0 Fernand Backes Luxembourg
Rene Weismann France DSQ 3R Pavle Šovljanski Yugoslavia
Viktor Mednov Soviet Union Injured Francisc Ambrus Romania
Alexander Grant Webster South Africa 3 – 0 Peter Waterman Great Britain
Charles Adkins United States 3 – 0 Salomon Carrizales Venezuela
Terence Milligan Ireland 3 – 0 Piet van Klaveren Netherlands
Bruno Visintin Italy 3 – 0 Juan Curet Alvarez Puerto Rico
Third Round (31 July)
Charles Adkins United States 3 – 0 Alexander Grant Webster South Africa
Erkki Aarno Mallenius Finland 2 – 1 Jean Louis Paternotte Belgium
Bruno Visintin Italy 3 – 0 Terence Milligan Ireland
Viktor Mednov Soviet Union 3 – 0 Rene Weismann France
Semi-final (1 August)
Viktor Mednov Soviet Union Walk-over Erkki Aarno Mallenius Finland
Charles Adkins United States 3 – 0 Bruno Visintin Italy
Final (2 August)
Charles Adkins United States 2 – 1 Viktor Mednov Soviet Union
 

Final Standings

 
Rank Athlete Age Team NOC Medal  
1 Chuck Adkins 20 United States USA Gold  
2 Viktor Mednov 24 Soviet Union URS Silver  
3T Erkki Mallenius 24 Finland FIN Bronze  
3T Bruno Visintin 19 Italy ITA Bronze  
5T Alexander Webster 18 South Africa RSA    
5T Jean Paternotte 21 Belgium BEL    
5T Terry Milligan 22 Ireland IRL    
5T René Weissmann 22 France FRA    
9T Stanley Majid 22 Myanmar MYA    
9T Fernand Backes 22 Luxembourg LUX    
9T Pavle Å ovljanski 24 Yugoslavia YUG    
9T Ferencz Ambruș 22 Romania ROU    
9T Peter Waterman 17 Great Britain GBR    
9T Salomon Carrizales 19 Venezuela VEN    
9T Piet van Klaveren 21 Netherlands NED    
9T Juan Curet 24 Puerto Rico PUR    
17T Leszek Kudłacik 22 Poland POL    
17T Béla Farkas 23 Hungary HUN    
17T Hans Petersen 22 Denmark DEN    
17T Norman Jones 21 Australia AUS    
17T Oscar Gallardo 23 Argentina ARG    
17T Herbert Schilling 22 Germany GER    
17T Leif Hansen 24 Norway NOR    
17T Celestino Pinto 20 Brazil BRA    
17T Roy Keenan 21 Canada CAN    
17T Ibrahim Afsharpour 21 Iran IRI    
17T Sarkis Moussa 23 Lebanon LIB    
17T Ernesto Porto 23 Philippines PHI  

Men's Welterweight

 

 Host City: Helsinki, Finland
Venue(s): Exhibition Hall I, Helsinki
Date Started: July 29, 1952
Date Finished: August 2, 1952
Format: Single elimination tournament.

Competitors 29from 29 nations

 

Summary

Czechoslovakia’s [Július Torma] returned to defend his Olympic title but by 1952 he had been succeeded as European champion by [Zygmunt Chychła] of Poland who had embarked on a long unbeaten run since 1948. The draw pitted the two fighters together at the quarter-final stage and it was the Pole who emerged triumphant via a unanimous points decision. Chychła’s opponent in the final was [Sergey Shcherbakov] of the Soviet Union. The Soviets were making their first foray into international competition and Scherbakov was considered by team officials to be the poster boy for the USSR and a possible Olympic champion. To the surprise of the Soviets, though probably of few others, the technically gifted Pole was too good for his opponent and was a clear winner of the title. Chychła was European champion again in 1953 but retired soon afterwards after suffering from tuberculosis.

The men's welterweight event was part of the boxing programme at the 1952 Summer Olympics. The weight class allowed boxers of up to 67 kilograms to compete. The competition was held from 29 July to 2 August 1952. 29 boxers from 29 nations competed

 

Results

Winner NOC Result Loser NOC
First Round (July 29)
Ron Norris India BYE
Jacob Butula Canada BYE
Iivari Malmikoski Finland BYE
Victor Jörgensen Denmark TKO 2R Alexandre Dib Brazil
Sergei Scherbakov Soviet Union DISG 3R Marcos Sarfatti Argentina
Hendrik van der Linde South Africa TKO 1R Anwar Pasha Pakistan
Harry Gunnarsson Sweden TKO 2R Peter Crotty Ireland
Franco Vescovi Italy 2 – 0 Jeannot Welter Luxembourg
Július Torma Czechoslovakia 2 – 1 Johnny Maloney Great Britain
Louis Gage United States KO 1R Ali Belkacem France
Zygmunt Chychla Poland 3 – 0 Pierre Wouters Belgium
José Dávalos Mexico TKO 3R Vicente Tuñacao Philippines
Günther Heidemann Germany 2 – 1 Pál Budai Hungary
Nicolae Linca Romania 3 – 0 Sergio Gascue Venezuela
George Issabeg Iran DISG 3R Fathi Abdel Rahman Egypt
Moos Linneman Netherlands Walk-over in 3R Peter Müller Switzerland
Second Round (July 29 & 30)
Ron Norris India TKO 3R Jacob Butula Canada
Victor Jörgensen Denmark 2 – 1 Ivar Mikael Malmikoski Finland
Sergei Scherbakov Soviet Union KO 2R Hendrik Dirk van der Linde South Africa
Franco Vescovi Italy Walk-over Gunnar Harry Ingemar Gunnarsson Sweden
Július Torma Czechoslovakia 2 – 1 Louis Gage United States
Zygmunt Chychla Poland 3 – 0 José Luis Dávalos Noriega Mexico
Günther Heidemann Germany TKO 1R Nicolae Linca Romania
Moos Linneman Netherlands 2 – 1 George Issabeg Iran
Third Round (July 31)
Zygmunt Chychla Poland 2 – 1 Július Torma Czechoslovakia
Victor Jörgensen Denmark 3 – 0 Ron Norris India
Günther Heidemann Germany 3 – 0 Moos Linneman Netherlands
Sergei Scherbakov Soviet Union 3 – 0 Franco Vescovi Italy
Semi-final (August 1)
Sergei Scherbakov Soviet Union 3 – 0 Victor Jörgensen Denmark
Zygmunt Chychla Poland 2 – 1 Günther Heidemann Germany
Final (August 2)
Zygmunt Chychla Poland 3 – 0 Sergei Scherbakov Soviet Union
 

Final Standings

 
Rank Athlete Age Team NOC Medal  
1 Zygmunt Chychła 25 Poland POL Gold  
2 Sergey Shcherbakov 34 Soviet Union URS Silver  
3T Viktor Jørgensen 28 Denmark DEN Bronze  
3T Günther Heidemann 19 Germany GER Bronze  
5T Július Torma 30 Czechoslovakia TCH    
5T Ron Norris 19 India IND    
5T Moos Linneman 21 Netherlands NED    
5T Franco Vescovi 22 Italy ITA    
9T Jacob Butula 21 Canada CAN    
9T Iivari Malmikoski 25 Finland FIN    
9T Hendrik van der Linde 20 South Africa RSA    
9T Harry Gunnarsson 22 Sweden SWE    
9T Lou Gage 24 United States USA    
9T José Dávalos 24 Mexico MEX    
9T Nicolae Linca 23 Romania ROU    
9T George Issabeg 21 Iran IRI    
17T Alexandre Dib 22 Brazil BRA    
17T Marcos Sarfatti 23 Argentina ARG    
17T Anwar Pasha Turki 25 Pakistan PAK    
17T Peter Crotty 24 Ireland IRL    
17T Jeannot Welter 24 Luxembourg LUX    
17T Johnny Maloney 20 Great Britain GBR    
17T Ali Belkacem 21 France FRA    
17T Pierre Wouters 21 Belgium BEL    
17T Vicente Tuñacao 27 Philippines PHI    
17T Pál Budai 27 Hungary HUN    
17T Sergio Gascue 19 Venezuela VEN    
17T Fathi Abdel Rahman 20 Egypt EGY    
17T Peter Müller 24 Switzerland SUI  
 

Men's Light-Middleweight

 Host City: Helsinki, Finland
Venue(s): Exhibition Hall I, Helsinki
Date Started: July 29, 1952
Date Finished: August 2, 1952
Format: Single elimination tournament.

Competitors 23from 23 nations

 

Summary

With the introduction of the light-middleweight division to international competition, Olympic champion [László Papp] could now fight at a more natural weight. He capitalized on this by winning the light-middleweight title at the 1951 European Championships. In Helsinki Papp was given a difficult assignment for his first bout in the shape of tough American [Spider Webb]. The fight was relatively even in the first round but ended in the second with the American suffering a count out.

The rest of the tournament was relatively plain sailing for the Hungarian who was at this time probably at the peak of his career. In his second Olympic final, Papp was too good for the British Empire Games champion, [Theunis van Schalkwyk] of South Africa who he clearly outpointed.

The men's light middleweight event was part of the boxing programme at the 1952 Summer Olympics. It was the inaugural Olympic event for the weight class and it allowed boxers of up to 71 kilograms to compete. The competition was held from 29 July to 2 August 1952. 23 boxers from 23 nations competed

 

Results

Winner NOC Result Loser NOC
First Round (July 29)
John Tandrevold Norway BYE
Theunis Jacobus van Schalkwyk South Africa BYE
Ebbe Kops Denmark BYE
Erich Schöppner Germany BYE
Hans Büchi Switzerland BYE
Boris Tishin Soviet Union BYE
Jerzy Krawczyk Poland BYE
Paulo Cavalheiro Brazil BYE
Sören Danielsson Sweden BYE
Guido Mazzinghi Italy 3 – 0 Bruno Matiussi Luxembourg
Josef Hamberger Austria 3 – 0 Willi Rammo Saar
Eladio Oscar Herrera Argentina 3 – 0 Ardashes Saginian Iran
Petar Spasov Bulgaria 2 – 1 Bernard Foster Great Britain
Pentti Kontula Finland 3 – 0 Neacşu Şerbu Romania
Charles Chase Canada 2 – 1 André Queillé France
László Papp Hungary KO 2R Ellsworth Webb United States
Second Round (July 29 & 30)
Theunis Jacobus van Schalkwyk South Africa 3 – 0 Ebbe Knud Kops Denmark
Erich Schöppner Germany TKO 3R Hans Büchi Switzerland
Boris Tishin Soviet Union TKO 2R Jerzy Krawczyk Poland
Paulo de Jesus Cavalheiro Brazil KO 3R Sören Danielsson Sweden
Guido Mazzinghi Italy KO 1R John Tandrevold Norway
Eladio Oscar Herrera Argentina KO 3R Josef Hamberger Austria
Petar Stankoff Spassoff Bulgaria 3 – 0 Pentti Olavi Kontula Finland
László Papp Hungary KO 2R Charles Chase Canada
Third Round (July 31)
Eladio Oscar Herrera Argentina DSQ 3R Guido Mazzinghi Italy
Theunis Jacobus van Schalkwyk South Africa 2 – 1 Erich Schöppner Germany
László Papp Hungary 3 – 0 Petar Stankoff Spassoff Bulgaria
Boris Tishin Soviet Union 3 – 0 Paulo de Jesus Cavalheiro Brazil
Semi-final (August 1)
Theunis Jacobus van Schalkwyk South Africa 3 – 0 Boris Tishin Soviet Union
László Papp Hungary 3 – 0 Eladio Oscar Herrera Argentina
Final (August 2)
László Papp Hungary 3 – 0 Theunis Jacobus van Schalkwyk South Africa
 

Final Standings

 
Rank Athlete Age Team NOC Medal  
1 László Papp 26 Hungary HUN Gold  
2 Theunis van Schalkwyk 22 South Africa RSA Silver  
3T Boris Tishin 23 Soviet Union URS Bronze  
3T Eladio Herrera 22 Argentina ARG Bronze  
5T Guido Mazzinghi 20 Italy ITA    
5T Erich Schöppner 20 Germany GER    
5T Petar Spasov 18 Bulgaria BUL    
5T Paulo Cavalheiro 18 Brazil BRA    
9T Ebbe Kops 22 Denmark DEN    
9T Hans Büchi 23 Switzerland SUI    
9T Jerzy Krawczyk 23 Poland POL    
9T Sören Danielsson 22 Sweden SWE    
9T John Tandrevold 25 Norway NOR    
9T Josef Hamberger 21 Austria AUT    
9T Pentti Kontula 21 Finland FIN    
9T Charley Chase 21 Canada CAN    
17T Bruno Mattiussi 25 Luxembourg LUX    
17T Willi Rammo 27 Saar SAA    
17T Ardashes Saginian 24 Iran IRI    
17T Bernard Foster 20 Great Britain GBR    
17T Neacșu Șerbu 23 Romania ROU    
17T André Queillé 20 France FRA    
17T Spider Webb 20 United States USA  
 

Men's Middleweight

 Host City: Helsinki, Finland
Venue(s): Exhibition Hall I, Helsinki
Date Started: July 29, 1952
Date Finished: August 2, 1952
Format: Single elimination tournament.

Competitors 23from 23 nations

 

Summary

[Floyd Patterson] left school in spring 1952 and was persuaded by his trainer, Cus D'Amato, to aim for a place on the US Olympic team for Helsinki. The 17-year-old from New Jersey duly booked his berth for Finland by winning a close, and not entirely popular, decision over the more experience Harvey Lammers. The bout with Lemmers proved the most difficult of Patterson's route to Olympic glory as he brushed aside all challengers in the Finnish capital. 2 brutal knockouts, a disqualification and an easy points win later the teenager was Olympic champion. Patterson went on to become the youngest professional World Heavyweight Champion though his aura was somewhat tarnished by defeats to [Ingemar Johansson] and Sonny Liston.

The men's middleweight event was part of the boxing programme at the 1952 Summer Olympics. The weight class allowed boxers of up to 75 kilograms to compete. The competition was held from 29 July to 2 August 1952. 23 boxers from 23 nations competed

 

Results

Winner NOC Result Loser NOC
First Round (July 29)
Floyd Patterson United States BYE
Omar Tebbaka France BYE
Leen Jansen Netherlands BYE
Robert Malouf Canada BYE
Anthony Madigan Australia BYE
Boris Silchev Soviet Union BYE
Stig Sjölin Sweden BYE
Börje Grönroos Finland BYE
Dieter Wemhöner Germany BYE
Bedřich Koutný Czechoslovakia 2 – 1 Héctor Maturano Argentina
Boris Nikolov Bulgaria 3 – 0 Fred Stürmer Luxembourg
Terry Gooding Great Britain 2 – 1 Moustafa Mohamed Fahim Egypt
Vasile Tiță Romania DSQ 3R Willie Duggan Ireland
Nelson Andrade Brazil 2 – 1 Mátyás Plachy Hungary
Walter Sentimenti Italy 3 – 0 Hans Niederhauser Switzerland
Muhammad Khan Pakistan 2 – 1 Henryk Nowara Poland
Second Round (July 29 & 30)
Floyd Patterson United States 3 – 0 Omar Tebbaka France
Leen Jansen Netherlands TKO 1R Robert Malouf Canada
Anthony Madigan Australia 2 – 1 Boris Siljtshev Soviet Union
Stig Sjölin Sweden 3 – 0 Börje Grönroos Finland
Dieter Wemhöner Germany 2 – 1 Bedrich Koutný Czechoslovakia
Boris Nikolov Bulgaria 2 – 1 Terence Gooding Great Britain
Vasile Tiță Romania DSQ 2R Nelson de Paula Andrade Brazil
Walter Sentimenti Italy 3 – 0 Khan Mohammad Pakistan
Third Round (July 31)
Boris Nikolov Bulgaria 3 – 0 Dieter Wemhöner Germany
Floyd Patterson United States KO 1R Leen Jansen Netherlands
Vasile Tiță Romania TKO 3R Walter Sentimenti Italy
Stig Sjölin Sweden 3 – 0 Anthony Madigan Australia
Semi-final (August 1)
Floyd Patterson United States DSQ 3R Stig Sjölin Sweden
Vasile Tiță Romania 3 – 0 Boris Nikolov Bulgaria
Final (August 2)
Floyd Patterson United States KO 1R Vasile Tiță Romania
 

Final Standings

 
Rank Athlete Age Team NOC Medal  
1 Floyd Patterson 17 United States USA Gold  
2 Vasile Tiță 24 Romania ROU Silver  
3T Stig Sjölin 23 Sweden SWE Bronze  
3T Boris Nikolov 23 Bulgaria BUL Bronze  
5T Dieter Wemhöner 21 Germany GER    
5T Leen Jansen 21 Netherlands NED    
5T Walter Sentimenti 29 Italy ITA    
5T Tony Madigan 22 Australia AUS    
9T Omar Tebakka 23 France FRA    
9T Robert Malouf 20 Canada CAN    
9T Boris Silchev 26 Soviet Union URS    
9T Börje Grönroos 23 Finland FIN    
9T Bedřich Koutný 21 Czechoslovakia TCH    
9T Terry Gooding 21 Great Britain GBR    
9T Nelson Andrade 19 Brazil BRA    
9T Muhammad Khan 24 Pakistan PAK    
17T Héctor Maturano 30 Argentina ARG    
17T Fred Stürmer 24 Luxembourg LUX    
17T Moustafa Fahim 27 Egypt EGY    
17T Willie Duggan 26 Ireland IRL    
17T Mátyás Plachy 22 Hungary HUN    
17T Hans Niederhauser 23 Switzerland SUI    
17T Henryk Nowara 28 Poland POL  
 

Men's Light-Heavyweight

 Host City: Helsinki, Finland
Venue(s): Exhibition Hall I, Helsinki
Date Started: July 29, 1952
Date Finished: August 2, 1952
Format: Single elimination tournament.

Competitors 18from 18 nations

 

Summary

[Norvel Lee] was taken to Helsinki as America's reserve in the heavyweight division, the same as he had been in 1948, after losing to [Ed Sanders] in the final of the US Olympic trials. After arriving in Finland he was persuaded by team official to shed the necessary weight and fight as a light-heavyweight. Lee impressed in training and was given the US berth in his new division.

This proved a masterstroke by the US officials as Lee proved to be the outstanding boxer in any of the weight divisions in Helsinki and was a worthy winner of the Val Barker Trophy for the best boxer at the Games. Lee was a graduate of Howard University and did not follow the usual career path for an American Olympic boxing champion and refused to turn professional. Instead he spent a lifetime working in adult education whilst also moonlighting as a judge in professional boxing.

A second round loser was Britain's [Henry Cooper]. After a long career where he was multiple British and European champion, he became the first boxer ever to be awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II.

The men's light heavyweight event was part of the boxing programme at the 1952 Summer Olympics. The weight class allowed boxers of up to 81 kilograms to compete. The competition was held from 29 July to 2 August 1952. 18 boxers from 18 nations competed

Results

Winner NOC Result Loser NOC
First Round (July 29)
Anatoly Perov Soviet Union BYE
Henry Cooper Great Britain BYE
Gianbattista Alfonsetti Italy BYE
Mohamed Mohamed Elminabaoui Egypt BYE
Antonio Pacenza Argentina BYE
Rolf Storm Sweden BYE
Lucio Grotone Brazil BYE
Bjarne Lingås Norway BYE
Tadeusz Grzelak Poland BYE
Franz Pfitscher Austria BYE
Norvel Lee United States BYE
Claude Arnaiz France BYE
Harry Siljander Finland BYE
Dumitru Ciobotaru Romania BYE
Toon Pastor Netherlands 3 – 0 István Fazekas Hungary
Karl Kistner Germany KO 7 Oscar Ward India
Second Round (July 29 & 30)
Anatoly Perov Soviet Union 2 – 1 Henry Cooper Great Britain
Giovan-Battista Alfonsetti Italy DSQ 3R Mohamed Mohamed Elminabaoui Egypt
Antonio Pacenza Argentina 2 – 1 Rolf Edvard Storm Sweden
Lucio Grotone Brazil 2 – 1 Bjarne Lingås Norway
Tadeusz Grzelak Poland 3 – 0 Franz Pfitscher Austria
Norvel Lee United States 3 – 0 Claude Arnaiz France
Harri Siljander Finland 2 – 1 Dumitru Ciobotaru Romania
Karl Kistner Germany 2 – 1 Toon Pastor Netherlands
Third Round (July 31)
Norvel LaFollette Ray Lee United States 3 – 0 Tadeusz Grzelak Poland
Anatoly Perov Soviet Union 3 – 0 Giovan-Battista Alfonsetti Italy
Harri Siljander Finland 2 – 1 Karl Kistner Germany
Antonio Pacenza Argentina 3 – 0 Lucio Grotone Brazil
Semi-final (August 1)
Antonio Pacenza Argentina 3 – 0 Anatoly Perov Soviet Union
Norvel Lee United States 3 – 0 Harri Siljander Finland
Final (August 2)
Norvel LaFollette Ray Lee United States 3 – 0 Antonio Pacenza Argentina
 

Final Standings

 
Rank Athlete Age Team NOC Medal  
1 Norvel Lee 27 United States USA Gold  
2 Antonio Pacenza 24 Argentina ARG Silver  
3T Harry Siljander 29 Finland FIN Bronze  
3T Anatoly Perov 25 Soviet Union URS Bronze  
5T Tadeusz Grzelak 22 Poland POL    
5T Gianbattista Alfonsetti 22 Italy ITA    
5T Karl Kistner 23 Germany GER    
5T Lúcio Grottone 23 Brazil BRA    
9T Henry Cooper 18 Great Britain GBR    
9T Mohamed El-Minabawi 25 Egypt EGY    
9T Rolf Storm 21 Sweden SWE    
9T Bjarne LingÃ¥s 19 Norway NOR    
9T Franz Pfitscher 21 Austria AUT    
9T Claude Arnaiz 21 France FRA    
9T Dumitru Ciobotaru 25 Romania ROU    
9T Toon Pastor 23 Netherlands NED    
17T István Fazekas 22 Hungary HUN    
17T Oscar Ward 24 India IND    
 

Men's Heavyweight

 Host City: Helsinki, Finland
Venue(s): Exhibition Hall I, Helsinki
Date Started: July 29, 1952
Date Finished: August 2, 1952
Format: Single elimination tournament.

Competitors 21from 21 nations

 

Summary

America's [Ed Sanders] created carnage in the heavyweight division as he battered his way to the final with three brutal knockout victories. His opponent in the final, Sweden's [Ingemar Johansson], appeared to be completely intimidated by the American's reputation and spent most of the fight backpedalling around the ring. When Sanders did get into range Johansson would simply grab hold of his opponent. Eventually an increasingly irate referee grew tired of warning the Swede and disqualified him for )not trying). This also had the effect of denying Johansson his silver medal and the second step on the podium remained vacant.

Sanders, a member of the US Navy, turned professional in 1954 with high expectations but these were derailed when he lost only his fourth pro fight. In December 1954 he was knocked out by Willie James in a fight at the Boston Garden. Sanders was rushed to hospital with a blood clot on the brain and succumbed to his injury, dying three days later.

Ironically it was Johansson who became a household name as a professional when he became the first European to win the World Heavyweight Championship for over 20 years after knocking out fellow Olympic champion [Floyd Patterson]. In 1982, 30 years after his Olympic embarrassment, Johansson was finally awarded his silver medal after the IOC were persuaded to reverse their decision.

The men's heavyweight event was part of the boxing programme at the 1952 Summer Olympics. The weight class allowed boxers of more than 81 kilograms to compete. The competition was held from 29 July to 2 August 1952. 21 boxers from 21 nations competed

 

Results

Winner NOC Result Loser NOC
First Round (July 29)
Tomislav Krizmanić Yugoslavia 3 – 0 Geza Furetz Romania
Algirdas Šocikas Soviet Union TKO 2R Antoni Gościański Poland
Andries Nieman South Africa 3 – 0 Edgar Gorgas Germany
Ed Sanders United States KO 1R Hans Jost Switzerland
Jean Lansiaux France 3 – 0 John Lyttle Ireland
Edgar Hearn Great Britain 2 – 1 José Sartor Argentina
Second Round (July 29)
Giacomo di Segni Italy 3 – 0 James Saunders Canada
Horymír Netuka Czechoslovakia 3 – 0 Carl Fitzgerald Australia
Ilkka Koski Finland KO 2R László Bene Hungary
Max Marsille Belgium 3 – 0 Ahmed El-Minabawi Egypt
Ingemar Johansson Sweden Walkover 1 Luis Amadeo Sosa Uruguay
Jean Lansiaux France Withdrawn 2
New Draw (July 30)
Ingemar Johansson Sweden 3 – 0 Horymir Netuka Czechoslovakia
Tomislav Krizmanić Yugoslavia 3 – 0 Max Maurice Oscar Marsille Belgium
Third Round (July 31)
Ed Sanders United States KO 3R Giacomo Di Segni Italy
Andries Nieman South Africa KO 1R Algirdas Šocikas Soviet Union
Ilkka Koski Finland 3 – 0 Edgar William Hearn Great Britain
Ingemar Johansson Sweden 3 – 0 Tomislav Krizmanić Yugoslavia
Semi-final (August 1)
Ed Sanders United States KO 2R Andries Nieman South Africa
Ingemar Johansson Sweden 2 – 1 Ilkka Koski Finland
Final (August 2)
Ed Sanders United States DSQ 2R Ingemar Johansson Sweden

Johansson spent the entire bout backpedalling, without throwing a single punch. After receiving several warnings from the referee, he was finally disqualified for not 'giving his best', and was not awarded the silver medal.[2] He eventually received the medal in 1982.

1 Sosa did not enter the ring.
2 Lansiaux retired from the competition due to injury.

Final Standings

 
Rank Athlete Age Team NOC Medal  
1 Ed Sanders 22 United States USA Gold  
2 Ingemar Johansson 19 Sweden SWE Silver  
3T Dries Nieman 24 South Africa RSA Bronze  
3T Ilkka Koski 24 Finland FIN Bronze  
5T Giacomo Di Segni 32 Italy ITA    
5T Algirdas Å ocikas 24 Soviet Union URS    
5T Eddie Hearn 23 Great Britain GBR    
5T Tomislav Krizmanić 23 Yugoslavia YUG    
9T Jim Saunders 20 Canada CAN    
9T Carl Fitzgerald 24 Australia AUS    
9T László Bene   Hungary HUN    
9T Ahmed El-Minabawi 23 Egypt EGY    
9T Horymír Netuka 22 Czechoslovakia TCH    
9T Max Marsille 21 Belgium BEL    
9T Jean Lansiaux 23 France FRA    
16T Geza Furetz 22 Romania ROU    
16T Antoni Gościański 26 Poland POL    
16T Edgar Gorgas 24 Germany GER    
16T Hans Jost 30 Switzerland SUI    
16T John Lyttle 21 Ireland IRL    
16T José Sartor 24 Argentina ARG  
 

 

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