Rome 1960 - AOC Rome 1960 5,338 (4,727 men, 611 women) Number of sports: View Full Medal Tally Rome delighted in revealing its own ancient glories as the world watched the 1960 Olympics unfold. Events were held in famous historical sites such as the Baths of Caracalla. The marathon course snaked through the colourful streets of the Italian capital before ending on the Appian Way rather than in the newly-built Olympic Stadium. The winner of the marathon was Ethiopian Abebe Bikila, who ran the whole race in bare feet. His famous victory signalled the arrival of the great African distance runners who now dominate many Olympic events. More than 5000 athletes from 83 nations competed in Rome, with 44 nations winning medals. For the second successive Games, the Soviet Union topped the medal table with 43 gold. Its fierce rival, the United States, was second on the medal table, with Australia an excellent fifth. Australian gold medallists such as Herb Elliott in the men’s 1500m and swimmers Dawn Fraser and Murray Rose were among the most revered athletes competing.

Among the many champions in Rome was an American light-heavyweight boxer named Cassius Clay. Later, he would change his name to Muhammad Ali and become the greatest heavyweight champion of them all. He would make a return to the Games to light the Olympic cauldron in Atlanta in 1996. Another American winning fans was sprinter Wilma Rudolph. As a child, she had been stricken with polio. But she overcame the illness to become one of the fastest women in the world, winning the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay golds. If the golden moments of Clay, Bikila, Elliott, Rudolph and Fraser weren’t enough, Rome also witnessed the zenith of some of the Games’ most famous streaks – and the fall of one of its great dynasties. In fencing, Hungarian legend Aladar Gerevich won his sixth consecutive gold medal in the team sabre event, a record that still stands today. Danish sailor Paul Elvstrom became the first Olympian to win four successive individual gold medals, his success coming in the Finn dinghy class.

In hockey, India’s men suffered their first loss since entering the Games in 1928, losing the final 1-0 to Pakistan. India had won 30 consecutive games and seven consecutive gold medals until the shock defeat. > Rome Olympic Games in 1960 Home > Events > Olympics > Summer > Hosts > Rome Rome 1960 Olympic Games The 1960 Olympic Games were held in Rome, Italy. A record 5,348 athletes from 83 countries competed. The Soviets again topped the medal tally, with 103 medals (43 gold) to the USA 71 medals (34 gold). See the 1960 Medal Table . Trivia The Rome Olympics in 1960 was the first Olympics covered by U.S. television by CBS, and the first covered by television worldwide. Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila won the marathon, running barefoot, and became the first black African to win a gold medal. He successfully defended his title four years later in Tokyo, this time wearing shoes. 18-year-old boxer Cassius Clay, later to be known as Muhammad Ali, was the light heavyweight boxing champion.

American Wilma Rudolph won three gold medals in Track and Field running events. At the Rome Olympics on August 26, 1960, 23 year old Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen collapsed during the 100 km team time trial, fatally fracturing his skull. The autopsy showed he had taken amphetamines and Roniaco. Competing in 93°F (34°C) heat, the official cause of death was heat stroke. Share: Boxing at the 1960 Roma Summer Games: Men's Light-Heavyweight | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com Boxing at the 1960 Roma Summer Games: Men's Light-Heavyweight Date Started: August 26, 1960 Date Finished: September 5, 1960 Format: Single elimination tournament. Tony Madigan Summary [Yvon Becot], [Gennady Shatkov], [Tony Madigan], and [Zbigniew Pietrzykowski]. All boxers in this class, their names remain as answers to the trivia question of who lost to the eventual winner, one [Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.].

The original favorite in the event was either the Pole Pietrzykowski, who had won Olympic bronze in 1956 as a light-middleweight, and was already a three-time European champion (1955, 1957, 1959), or Shatkov, the 1956 Olympic gold medalist as a middleweight. But the American coaches touted Clay, a reed-thin 18-year-old with lightning-fast hands from Louisville, Kentucky, who stood 187 cm (6-3) tall, and would later grow into a large heavyweight. Clay had won the Chicago Golden Gloves title in 1959 and 1960, adding the 1960 AAU titles and Olympic Trials. In Rome, he won his first bout over Becot by TKO, then won unanimous decisions over Shatkov and Madigan to advance to the final against Pietrzykowski. Pietrzykowski was a formidable opponent and had a slight lead after two rounds, but Clay, told by his seconds that he needed to knockout the Pole to win, pummeled him in the final round.

Pietrzykowski stayed upright, but Clay had another unanimous decision and the gold medal. Pietrzykowski would come back in 1964 to add a bronze medal in this class, and he won his fourth European title in 1963. Right after the Olympics, Clay turned professional, winning his first fight against Tunney Hunsaker. In 1964 he would win the world heavyweight title by defeating the Big Bear, Sonny Liston. Clay became one of the world's most popular athletes. Handsome, he never failed to mention that fact, calling himself pretty, and he began reciting poetry, often before his bouts, and often predicting in which rounds he would knock out his opponent. "Float like a buttefly, sting like a bee, his hands can't hit, what his eyes can't see", became his mantra. After winning the world professional title, Clay adopted the Muslim faith and took the name Muhammad Ali, by which he would become forever after known.

Ali claimed conscientious objection to the war in Vietnam and was stripped of his professional title by US authorities, stating "I ain't got no quarrel with them Vietcong." He fought the decision, eventually winning in the US Supreme Court, and then came back to boxing. In the early 1970s Ali had three epic bouts with the 1964 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist, [Joe Frazier], winning the last two, including the final drama, The Thrilla in Manila, considered by many as the greatest heavyweight bout ever. Ali would eventually win the world heavyweight title three times, also defeating the 1968 gold medalist, [George Foreman], and the 1976 light-heavyweight gold medalist, [Leon Spinks], to do so. Sadly, like many boxers, he fought too long, and later suffered from Parkinson's disease, probably from the effects of so many punches causing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which rendered the Louisville Lip silent. In 1996 he thrilled American sports fans when )The Greatest) overcame his shaking to light the Olympic torch at the Atlanta Opening Ceremony.

A Sports Reference Site : About SR/Olympics | Privacy Statement | Conditions & Terms of Service | Use of Data Data provided by OlyMADMen , led by Hilary Evans, Arild Gjerde, Jeroen Heijmans, and Bill Mallon. Members: David Foster, Martin Frank, Jørn Jensen, Carl-Johan Johansson, Taavi Kalju, Martin Kellner, George Masin, Stein Opdahl, Wolf Reinhardt, Ralf Regnitter, Paul Tchir, Magne Teigen, Christian Tugnoli, Morten Aarlia Torp, and Ralf Schlüter. Sports Reference LLC and are not sponsored by or affiliated with the Olympics, the United States Olympic Committee or the International Olympic Committee. Trademarks featured or referred to on this website are the property of their respective trademark holders and not Sports Reference LLC or . Part of the Cassius CLAY - Olympic Boxing | United States of America Olympic Games 1960 More than any other sportsman in history, Muhammad Ali transcended his sport to reach out to people as a role model and hero.

Rome 1960 As Cassius Clay, Ali travelled to the 1960 Rome Games to compete in the light heavyweight division. Despite being only 18, he won all four of his fights easily. In the final he defeated three-time European champion Zbigniew Pietrzykowski to win the gold medal. Vietnam War Clay turned professional and won the heavyweight World Championship for the first time in 1964, beating Sonny Liston in a legendary fight. Over the next four years he defended his title nine times, converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. However, he was stripped of his title in 1967, when he refused to be drafted into the US army, citing religious and personal beliefs. He did not fight again for three and a half years. Thriller in Manila Ali regained his title in 1974 by knocking out George Foreman in a fight staged in the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo, (formerly Zaire) known as “the Rumble in the Jungle”. In 1975 he beat Joe Frazier in “the Thriller in Manila”.

He eventually retired from boxing in 1981 with a professional record of 56 wins and 5 losses. Great honour In 1996, Ali was chosen to light the flame during the Opening Ceremony of the Atlanta Olympic Games. He has devoted much of his life to humanitarian affairs. In 1998 Ali was honoured with the United Nations Messenger of Peace award. Muhammad Ali passed away on June 3, 2016. The USA and the Olympic Games - Boxing News Boxing News June 3, 2016 BN Staff The USA and the Olympic Games But is the might of America declining at the Olympic Games, asks Chris Kempson The USA and the Olympic Games But is the might of America declining at the Olympic Games, asks Chris Kempson Action Images Don’t miss any action. Sign up for the free BN newsletter(s) here THE United States heads the all time boxing medal table at the Summer Olympic Games . One hundred and eleven in total, comprised of 50 gold, 23 silver and 38 bronze.

The United States has been present at every Games since 1896, Moscow (1980) apart, and boxing was first introduced in to the Games programme in 1904. However in 1908 in Stockholm, boxing was not competed for, as at that time, Swedish law prohibited the sport. This particular article takes a look at some of the many medallists, mainly gold medallists, who went on to become world professional champions as well. It is not imperative that a gold medal or indeed a medal of any colour will ensure professional boxing success or indeed a shot at one of the plethora of world titles which exist these days; but statistics and this article on American amateur boxers show that it is a great grounding for future ring success; which is not at all surprising to me and no doubt not to some others too. As we shall see some of America’s greatest amateur ring talent progressed to fantastic feats in the paid ring. No real coincidence I would suggest! At the St Louis Games in 1904, the US was the only country entered in the boxing event and it secured all nineteen medals, seven gold, seven silver and five bronze.

Only eighteen boxers took part and bronze medals were not awarded in the fly, bantam and middleweight divisions However, controversy followed at these Games and in some respects often follows the sport today. About the 1904 event, four boxers each won two medals; Oliver Kirk (two golds), George Finnegan (gold and silver), Harry Spanjer (gold and silver) and Charles Mayer (also gold and silver). However, the fun doesn’t stop there. A boxer named, Jack Eagan, sometimes referred to as Jack Egan, won silver at lightweight and also a bronze at welterweight. However, a year or so later it was discovered his real name was Frank Joseph Floyd and America’s AAU disqualified him for having boxed under an assumed and false name and requested the return of all his boxing trophies, including his two Olympic medals. Some very respected statistical sources have apparently and somewhat logically documented boxers from the Games moving up to assume Eagan’s medal silver and bronze slots; although the Official Olympic Boxing medal database for these Games still lists him as a silver and bronze medallist. (Did I hear someone just say “Only in America!”?) Well boxing entered the Games in a controversial and somewhat curious way.

Things did, thankfully, quieten down, quite a bit as we shall see in subsequent Games. In 1908, the USA did not compete in the boxing events. They were back with a vengeance in Antwerp in 1920, netting three golds and one bronze. One gold medallist, flyweight, Frankie Genaro, went on to win the NBA flyweight crown. Four years later in 1924, six medals were claimed, two gold, two silver and two bronze. Flyweight, Fidel LaBarba won gold and later became world flyweight champion. Jackie Fields, real name Jacob Finkelstein won gold at featherweight and later became a world welterweight kingpin. Fields at just sixteen years and 162 days, became the youngest boxer ever to win an Olympic gold medal. His record will never be beaten. However in view of the current higher age limit imposed these days on amateur boxers, another American, Leo Randolph is apparently, at present, the youngest ever Olympic gold medallist of the modern era. But more of him later on. Two silvers and one bronze became the medal tally in 1928.

1932, saw two golds and three bronze gained and bronze medallist, Louis Salica, at flyweight later became the NBA world bantamweight champion. Berlin in 1936 and London in 1948 were fairly modest Games medal wise for the USA, one silver and one bronze were achieved in Berlin and a mere silver obtained in the London “Austerity” Games in 1948. Helsinki, Finland in 1952, saw five golds return “across the pond”, middleweight, Floyd Patterson announcing his own particular presence on the world boxing stage with a gold medal. Patterson has his own particular piece of professional boxing history in that he remains the youngest ever undisputed professional world heavyweight champion and he was a mere seventeen and-a -half years old when he won his gold medal. A little more on the late great Floyd, later on. Melbourne in 1956 saw two American golds and one silver medal. Middleweight Jose Torres gained silver losing out to the legendary Hungarian master, Laszlo Papp on points in their Olympic final. Torres went on to win WBC and WBA light-heavyweight crowns in the paid ranks.

One of the gold medals went to heavyweight, Pete Rademacher who knocked out the Soviet Union’s, Lev Mukhin in the opening round. Later in his first professional contest, Rademacher met Floyd Patterson for the latter’s heavyweight crown. Although flooring Floyd “of the brittle chin” in the second round, Pete was knocked out in the sixth round. What a strange mix two Olympic champions, one then a world professional heavyweight champion and the other the then reigning Olympic heavyweight champion, once more “only in America” as they say!! The next three Olympic Games, threw up arguably three of the greatest world heavyweight champions of all time. Cassius Clay won in Rome in 1960 at light-heavyweight, he was joined by two other American gold medallists and one bronze medal winner. Clay, who later became, Muhammad Ali is arguably the most well known and celebrated boxer of all time and in many peoples’ books the greatest boxer also. 1964 saw, Joe Frazier win the Olympic gold medal at heavyweight, there were three bronze medals achieved too.

What can one say about the late great “Smokin Joe”, he was awesome in his prime and will never be forgotten, he will be remembered as one of the greatest world heavyweight champions of the modern era. If Clay and Frazier were not enough to whet ones boxing appetite, along in 1968 came George Foreman, who too won an Olympic heavyweight gold medal. America also won another gold medal and four bronze ones in Mexico City. Foreman too was an immense world heavyweight champion and will rightly be remembered thus. 1972 was the time of Marvin Johnson who won a bronze medal at middleweight, later win in the paid ranks, WBC and WBA light-heavyweight championships. USA won one gold and another two bronze medals at these Games. 1976 was a superb Games for the States with five golds, one silver and one bronze. These Montreal Games were the most successful for the Americans since Helsinki in 1952. Leo Randolph, Howard Davis Jnr, Ray Leonard, Michael and Leon Spinks, each won gold and Davis also was awarded the Val Barker trophy. A silver medal was also acquired and heavyweight John Tate won a bronze.

All of the American gold medallists went on to box for and win world professional tittles and all succeeded with the exception of the late Howard Davis Jnr. Leonard and the Spinks brothers need no further introduction, but the least well known of the gold medallists, Leo Randolph who won at flyweight, won the WBA super-bantamweight crown. He apparently is the current youngest Olympic gold medallist (with the existing entry structure) and the youngest retirement ever by a former professional world champion , losing his title three months to Sergio Palma, after taking the title from Ricardo Cardona. The Spinks brothers remain the only brothers to date, to both win both Olympic titles and World heavyweight crowns, although their Olympic triumphs were at middleweight for Michael and light-heavyweight for Leon. Bronze medallist, John Tate later won the WBA world heavyweight title. Not a bad return for the USA in 1976, although political ramifications prevented them competing when the Summer Games were to be staged for the first time in the then Soviet Union in 1980.

Moscow in 1980 was boycotted by the USA and many other countries too, including a number of its western allies and friends, but not by Team GB. Then four years later in Los Angeles with a Soviet, Cuban and also a large mainly East European boycott in place, the USA had their best ever Games gold medal tally, They acquired nine out of the twelve gold medals up for grabs and also one silver and one bronze medal too. A massive gold medal haul which is unlikely ever to be matched in the future. It might be easiest first to record the three gold medals which went elsewhere. They were at bantam, middle and light-heavyweight. So let us see where the medals went and how their owners fared later on in their individual careers. First up, Light-flyweight, Paul Gonzales went on to win the IBF bantamweight belt; Steve McCrory at flyweight failed to land a professional crown. Featherweight, Meldrick Taylor, won light-welterweight and welterweight world crowns, while the phenomenal southpaw, Pernell Whitaker won four different world titles from light-middleweight, welter, light-welter and lightweight.

Light-welterweight, Jerry Page didn’t challenge for a paid world crown. Mark Breland at welterweight, won the paid welterweight crown twice, while light-middleweight, Frank Tate, later won the IBF world middleweight belt. Heavyweight, Henry Tillman is an interesting case, challenging but never winning a professional world title. But he did meet his Olympic final heavyweight opponent as a professional in 1990, namely Canada’s Willie DeWitt, with DeWitt, prevailing this time on points. Tillman had won their Olympic duel, with all five judges awarding him the decision and the gold medal. Readers will recall that Wladimir Klitschko met and twice beat Tongan Paea Wolfgramm in first an Olympic final and later in the paid ring with no title at stake. I said in a previous article that I would endeavour to find a parallel with Klitschko; Wolfgramm and I have managed to deliver with Tillman and De Witt. I will continue to look for other examples and report back on my findings in due course.

Tyrell Biggs became the first ever Olympic super-heavyweight champion , but never won a paid world belt, “Iron” Mike Tyson putting paid to that dream and ambition. Middleweight, Virgil Hill, won silver in the middleweight division, losing a very close judges decision (3-2) which went the way of South Korea’s Shin Joon-sup. This did not deter Hill who went on to have a fabulously successful paid career winning WBA light-heavyweight, IBF and Lineal belts also in this weight category as well as the WBA cruiserweight title for good measure. This brings us to the one and only “Real Deal”, Evander Holyfield, who took a bronze in Los Angeles. Holyfield was controversially disqualified in the semi- final against the New Zealander, Kevin Barry. The American actually knocked out Barry, but the referee ruled that the punch came after he had called “stop”. Barry was subject then to the twenty-eight day suspension and the Olympic title went to Anton Josipovic (Yugoslavia) on a walk-over. Evander later became a colossus, both at cruiserweight and also at heavyweight, so a bronze medal did not affect his later ring career one little bit.

1992 was a much quieter Games for the USA, with three medals one of each colour. Gold went to lightweight star, Oscar De La Hoya, silver to Chris Byrd in the middleweight ranks and a bronze to Tim Austin at flyweight. De La Hoya “The Golden Boy” had a phenomenal paid career winning ten world titles in six different weight categories, what more can be said about that, other than truly awesome. Byrd did alright for himself as well becoming a two-time world heavyweight champion and Austin won the IBF bantamweight crown, defending it many times. 1996 was another quiet Olympic Games, although six medals were won, one gold and five bronze. The gold went to light-middleweight, David Reid, who later won a WBA world crown at this weight. Of the five bronze medallists, the most famous and undefeated as a professional is Floyd Mayweather Jnr, who was subject to a very bad points decision which went in favour of Bulgaria’s Serafim Todorov and had to settle for just that colour medal. He has had an unbelievably successful paid career, remained undefeated and among other championship credentials was a world champion in five weight divisions.

A fantastically successful multi-champion and regarded by many as “the greatest boxer of his time”, and a view not too many would disagree with I believe. Mayweather announced his retirement from the ring in September 2015 after outpointing Andre Berto in yet another world championship encounter. Lightweight, Terrance Cauthen received bronze and later won the IBU world super-welterweight championship as a professional. Middleweight, Rhoshli Wells got bronze and never boxed for a world title, very sadly he was shot and killed in Las Vegas in 2008, a young life cut short, what a loss for his family and friends. Heavyweight, Nate Jones also won bronze but did not box for a world crown, someone from 1996 who did eventually, was light-heavyweight, bronze medallist, Antonio Tarver who eventually won WBC, WBA and IBF world light-heavyweight championships. Athens in 2000, saw two silvers and two golds won by the USA. Ricardo Juarez took silver at featherweight and later became WBC Silver featherweight champion. Light-welterweight, Ricardo Williams also won silver, but never challenged for a paid world belt.

Similarly, bronze medallist, Clarence Vinson at bantamweight, did not contend for world championship honours in the paid ranks. However, light-middleweight, Jermain Taylor, also a bronze medallist, excelled in the professional code when he became the former and last middleweight champion claiming, IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO and Ring Titles, beating the legendary Bernard Hopkins in 2005. 2004 saw another modest medal return, Andre Ward won gold at light-heavyweight and Andre Dirrell gained bronze at middleweight. Ward is a tremendous boxer, one of only a few men to defeat England’s Carl Froch. Ward, still undefeated as a professional, has won Ring Magazine, WBA (Super) and WBC super-middleweight titles. Dirrell who won bronze in Athens at middleweight, has not so far succeeded in winning world honours. He was beaten, in May 2015, in a world title bout by our very own James DeGale, a former Olympic gold medallist himself in Beijing in 2008 at middleweight.

In 2008, it seemed that the American medal machine was running out of steam as a sole bronze medal was their only return. It came via, heavyweight, Deontay Wilder, who is the current WBC world heavyweight champion. 2012 proved to be the turn of and the time for the ladies as they showed the American men the way to Olympic medal glory on this occasion. Ten male boxers from the States boxed in London and there was not one medal achieved, the first time ever that the men from the USA had drawn a blank at any Games that they have competed in as far as Olympic ring medals were concerned. However, two women rescued “Uncle Sam’s” reputation and here is a little bit about each of them. The United States thus having maintained their record of winning at least one and often many more Olympic ring medals in all of the Games that they have competed in. Women’s boxing featured in the London 2012 Games for the first time, three weights were contested; flyweight, lightweight and middleweight. Claressa Shields won the middleweight gold and Marlen Esparza gained a bronze in the flyweight category.

Shields beat Russia’s Nadezda Torlopova 19- 12 in their final, while China’s Ren Cancan beat Esparza 10-8 in their semi-final, with Team GB’s Nicola Adams outscoring the Chinese woman in the Olympic final to become the first ever woman gold medallist at the Olympic Games. So what does the medal future hold for the USA, especially their men in the ring. Is the American medal machine grinding to a summary halt or will they bounce back and be among the medals more regularly in future years? A fascinating question and I do not know the answer, time will tell, if the American glory days are now gone, or whether recent Games have just signalled a temporary blip. Perhaps Rio 2016 will give us some clues. The United States have six qualifiers for Rio, two of them women, so let’s sit back and see how they perform. American boxers have a great deal to live up to, will they be up to it in Brazil?

1960 Olympics 1960 Olympics Yachting Free of political entanglements, save the ruling that Nationalist China had to compete as Formosa, the 1960 Games attracted a record 5,348 athletes from 83 countries. More importantly, it was the first Summer Games covered by U.S. television. CBS bought the rights for $394,000. Rome was a coming-out party for 18-year-old Louisville boxer Cassius Clay. The brash but engaging Clay, who would later change his name to Muhammad Ali and hold the world heavyweight title three times, won the Olympic light heavyweight crown, pummeling Polish opponent Zbigniew Pietryskowsky in the final. Clay was so proud of his gold medal that he didn't take it off for two days. Sprinter Wilma Rudolph and swimmer Chris von Saltza each won three gold medals for the U.S. Rudolph, who was one of her father's 22 children and who couldn't walk without braces until she was nine, struck gold at 100 and 200 meters and anchored the winning 400-meter relay team.

Von Saltza won the 400-meter freestyle, placed second in the 100-free and anchored the winning 4x100-free and medley relays. The U.S. men won nine track and field titles, including repeat gold medals for Lee Calhoun, Glenn Davis and Al Oerter. Rafer Johnson and C.K. Yang of Formosa, college teammates at UCLA, finished 1-2 in the decathlon. Among the other stars in Rome were barefoot Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila, Australia's Herb Elliott in the 1,500 meters, Soviet gymnasts Boris Shakhlin and Larissa Latynina. Finally, the greatest amateur basketball team ever assembled represented the U.S. and won easily. The 12-man roster included Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Jerry Lucas, Walt Bellamy and Terry Dischinger–four of whom would become NBA Rookies of the Year from 1961-64.

The Best Fighters in Boxing History Who Were Also Olympic Medalists | Bleacher Report The Best Fighters in Boxing History Who Were Also Olympic Medalists By Briggs Seekins , Featured Columnist Feb 28, 2014 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports 6 Comments When Muhammad Ali, then still known as Cassius Clay, left Rome in 1960 as the Olympic gold medalist at light heavyweight, he was already a household name in the United States. When Ray Leonard captured gold in Montreal in 1976, it launched him onto the cover of a Wheaties box. In an earlier, less-sissified media culture, Olympic boxing was a major draw for network coverage. Some of the great pound-for-pound boxing stars of recent decades launched their careers at the Games. Note that this list is ranked largely on what the fighters went on to do as professionals. In the Cold War era, a number of Eastern European and Cuban fighters could very likely have had successful careers in the pro ranks. In no particular order of ranking: Oscar De La Hoya 10.

Lennox Lewis Joe Murphy/Getty Images Lennox Lewis won a gold medal for Canada at the 1988 games, knocking out Riddick Bowe in the finals. It should have been the opening volley in a classic heavyweight rivalry that would carry on to the professional ranks. Alas, it never came to pass. The decade of the 1990s was the greatest in heavyweight history aside from the 1970s. But those of us who were alive then will always remember how much better it might have been had Bowe been willing to fight Lewis. As it ended up, Lewis would have to rate as the best big man of that golden era. I've got him slightly behind Evander Holyfield here, but only because this is a pound-for-pound list and Holyfield was unstoppable at cruiserweight. 9. Evander Holyfield Ethan Miller/Getty Images A member of the legendary 1984 U.S. team, Evander Holyfield won bronze at light heavyweight at the Games in Los Angeles. Holyfield turned pro right after the Olympics and captured the WBA cruiserweight title from Dwight Muhammad Qawi in just his 12th fight. Holyfield would go on to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion.

For my money, Holyfield is the greatest cruiserweight to ever live and his war with Qawi is the greatest fight in the history of the division. Holyfield captured the undisputed heavyweight crown from Buster Douglas in October 1990. He is the only man to win versions of the heavyweight title four times. Although it was a nearly unwatchable fight, on my scorecard he beat Nikolai Valuev in 2008, which would have made him a five-time champ, at 46. Tweet Wilfredo Gomez represented Puerto Rico in the 1972 Games in Munich. After receiving a first-round bye, he lost his only fight. But Gomez was a monster puncher who was clearly better designed for the professional ranks. I would rate him as the greatest super bantamweight of all time. After drawing in his first pro fight, Gomez won his next 32 bouts by KO, capturing the 122-pound title along the way. His first loss did not come until he moved up to featherweight and was stopped by the legendary Salvador Sanchez. Gomez later won world titles at featherweight and super featherweight, as well. 7. Joe Frazier Norman Y.

Lono/Getty Images Joe Frazier won a gold medal at heavyweight fighting in the 1964 Games and turned professional in 1965. By the late 1960s he was undefeated and recognized as the world champion while Muhammad Ali sat out an indefinite suspension from the sport. In March 1971 Frazier and Ali faced off in the "Fight of the Century," a battle of undefeated heavyweight champions. Frazier's fearsome left hook staggered Ali in the 11th and dropped him in Round 15 to secure the unanimous decision. Frazier dropped the heavyweight crown in 1973 to George Foreman in one of the division's most famous blowouts. Foreman presented a terrible style matchup for Frazier and butchered him with six knockdowns in the first two rounds, before winning by TKO. Frazier remained a top heavyweight throughout most of the rest of the decade. In 1974 he dropped a close unanimous decision to Ali in a rematch. In 1975 Frazier faced Ali for the third time, in Manila, Philippines.

In a grueling, action-packed fight that is arguably the greatest of all time, Frazier's trainer Eddie Futch refused to allow him to go out for Round 15. 6. George Foreman Pool/Getty Images George Foreman won the heavyweight gold medal in the 1968 Games. As a professional he was one of the most dangerous punchers in the history of the division. Foreman captured the heavyweight crown when he blew out Joe Frazier in 1973. For a time he was thought to be unbeatable, but the the always wily Muhammad Ali out-thought him and knocked him out in eight rounds in the heat of Zaire in 1974. After an upset lost to Jimmy Young in 1977, Foreman retired for a full decade. When he returned to the ring in 1987, it was viewed as a publicity stunt at first. But Foreman had retained his crushing power and managed to build himself into a legitimate contender. He lost competitive decisions to champions Evander Holyfield and Tommy Morrison, and in 1994 he shocked the world by knocking out Michael Moorer to become the oldest heavyweight champion in history at age 45. 5.

Pernell Whitaker Al Bello/Getty Images A gold medalist for the legendary 1984 U.S. team, Pernell Whitaker was the greatest defensive fighter of his generation and among the greatest defensive fighters of all time. Whitaker was a four-division world champion and undisputed at lightweight. Whitaker was on the receiving end of two of the worst decisions of the past 30 years. In 1988 he lost by split decision to Jose Luis Ramirez and in 1993 he came away with a draw against Julio Cesar Chavez. I've watched both fights multiple times (the Chavez fight at least 20 times) and there is no way anybody will ever convince me that Whitaker didn't clearly win both times. I also think he deserved the decision against the younger and larger Oscar De La Hoya in 1997, though the fight was far too close to call a robbery. Whitaker has been a successful trainer in his post-fight career. 4. Floyd Mayweather Gallo Images/Getty Images Boxing protege Floyd Mayweather captured a bronze medal at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

He lost a controversial fight in the semifinals but put on a show in the first three rounds. Boxing fans at the time knew they were watching a potential superstar. More has been written about Floyd Mayweather than any other current boxer aside from perhaps Manny Pacquiao. He turned professional in 1996 and has yet to lose, almost 18 full years later. Mayweather's all-time status can be nitpicked, due to the quality of opposition in this era and due to a few fights he never made. I think he would have beaten either Paul Williams or Manny Pacquiao, but I would have an easier time rating him if he had done so. What can't be denied is that Mayweather has been the obvious top fighter in five different weight classes, from super featherweight to junior middleweight. That's more substantial than merely having won alphabet soup belts in all those divisions. At one point during the past 17-plus years, Mayweather was the man in every division from 130 pounds to 154. 3. Roy Jones Jr.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images The decision that robbed Roy Jones of his gold medal at the Seoul Games in 1988 is the worst boxing decision I've ever seen, amateur or professional. Jones' opponent, Park Si-Hun, himself turned and stared at the ref, mouth open in shock, as his hand was raised. The decision was so transparently bad that Jones was awarded the Val Barker trophy as the outstanding boxer of the Games, despite not winning the gold medal. I feel sorry for fans who are not old enough to remember Jones prior to the past decade, when he has too often been a washed-up punching bag. In his prime, Jones was perhaps the most physically gifted athlete in the history of the sport. He had an unreal combination of lightening reflexes and explosive speed. Jones won world titles at middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight, before moving all the way up to heavyweight to capture the WBA title from John Ruiz in 2003. It made Jones the first fighter in over a 100 years to win the heavyweight title after starting as a middleweight champ. 2. Ray Leonard Ethan Miller/Getty Images The 1976 U.S. Olympic boxing squad was a dream team.

Only the 1984 team even deserves mention in the same sentence. The '76 squad won five gold medals, a silver and a bronze. It produced five future world champions in the professional ranks. Although Howard Davis Jr. won the Val Barker trophy as the Games' outstanding boxer, it was obvious even at the time whom the true future superstar was. Ray Leonard's charismatic performance in Montreal that summer made him a mainstream sports star and household name. As a professional, "Sugar" Ray lived up to his golden-boy image. Along with Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler, Leonard was one of what sports writer George Kimball dubbed "The Four Kings," the quartet of boxing superstars who powered boxing's last golden age in the 1980s. Leonard won titles in five divisions, but like so many all-time greats, it's the fights he was in that define his legend. In his first fight with Hearns he trailed on the cards when he came roaring back to TKO the Hitman in Round 14. After losing a brawl for the ages to Duran in their first fight, he used finesse to make Duran quit in frustration in the rematch.

After a three-year retirement, Leonard came back to win a disputed split decision from Hagler at a time when Hagler was viewed as unbeatable. 1. Muhammad Ali Uncredited/Associated Press Then still known as Cassius Clay, Muhammad Ali was the darling of the 1960 Games, winning gold at light heavyweight and charming the media with his infectious personality. As a professional, Ali quickly filled out into a solid heavyweight frame, while retaining his light heavyweight quickness. Ali was unorthodox in style but got away with it due to his blinding speed. Ali is my pick as the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, but his cultural and historical significance far surpassed even his greatness in the sport. During one of the nation's most turbulent eras, Ali became an icon. In the ring, he was the central player in the greatest era in the history of the sport. He came back from losses to Joe Frazier and Ken Norton to beat George Foreman at a time when Big George was viewed as unbeatable. He went on to beat Frazier and Norton twice each in rematches. Like so many greats, Ali fought far too long and seems to have paid a heavy price for it.

But from his Olympic debut in 1960 up until the present day, no name has been more identified with the sport.

Question: Which light-heavyweight boxer won a gold medal when he competed at an Olympic Games for the first time in 1960 at Rome?
Answer: Cassius Clay