5 Best Olympic Boxing Champions Ever
Boxing has been an official Olympic sport for 120 years and has a rich history of legendary fighters. Boxers from all over the world, who cemented their legacy by winning multiple Olympic gold medals.
Here is a list of the five best Olympic boxing champions ever; read below how these boxers became legendary amateur athletes.
Laszlo Papp (Hungary): 3 Gold Medals
In the 120-year history of Olympic boxing, only three of the best Olympic boxing champions have won 3 gold medals. The first fighter to ever reach this feat was Hungarian boxing icon Laszlo Papp.
Papp, a middleweight southpaw, was the greatest amateur boxer in the world from the 1940s to 1950s. Laszlo went 15-0 in the Olympics with 6 KOS, on his way to marking his name as a legend.
As an amateur, Papp earned a record of 301-12-6 before going undefeated as a professional. He could’ve been one of the greatest champions ever if not being forced to retire by the communist Hungarian government.
You can bet on the Olympics right now and see which of today’s amateurs will etch their names in Olympic history.
Felix Savon (Cuba): 3 Gold Medals
Cuban legend Feli Savon is undoubtedly one of the best Olympic boxing champions ever. Savon is the most decorated heavyweight amateur boxer in history, competing from 1980 to 2000.
The Cuban heavyweight legend was a force, winning Olympic gold in the ‘92, 96’, and 2000 Olympic Games. Felix would’ve also most likely won Olympic gold in 1988 if Cuba did not boycott the Olympics in South Korea.
To further add to his impeccable legacy, Savon also won the amateur world title six years in a row.
Teofilo Stevenson (Cuba): 3 Gold Medals
Fellow Cuban native, Teofilo Stevenson also made his mark as one of the best Olympic champions ever. Stevenson was the second fighter in history to win three Olympic gold medals.
The Cuban icon fought at heavyweight and was a force in the amateurs during the 1970s and 1980s. Stevenson captured his first Olympic gold in 1972 and repeated this two more times in 1976 and 1980.
On top of being one of the three boxers with three Olympic gold medals, Teofilo was also a 3x amateur world champion.
Boris Lagutin (Russia): 2 Gold Medals, 1 Bronze Medal
Russia has produced many great fighters, but also one of the best Olympic boxing champions ever in Boris Lagutin. In his Olympic debut in 1960, Boris took home bronze but evolved into one of the all-time great amateurs.
Lagutin returned in 1964 to win his first Olympic gold medal and repeated as champion in 1968. Boris retired with a superb 241-11 amateur record. However, due to Soviet Russian politics, he could not pursue a pro career.
Oleg Saitov (Russia): 2 Gold Medals, 1 Bronze Medal
Fifth on the list of the best Olympic boxing champions ever is the all-time Russian great Oleg Saitov. Oleg tied Boris Lagutin with two Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal as Russia’s most decorated amateur boxer.
The Russian welterweight was one of the best amateur fighters of the late 1990s and early 2000s. He won his first Olympic gold medal in 1996, repeated in 2000, and nearly won a third in 2004.
