One of boxing’s greatest injustices was symbolically set right when Roy Jones Jr. finally received the Olympic gold medal many believe was stolen from him in Seoul, 1988. Jones, then just 19 years old, completely outclassed South Korea’s Park Si-Hun in their light middleweight final, outlanding him nearly 3-to-1. Despite the dominance, Jones lost via a shocking 3-2 decision - a verdict that has long been remembered as one of the worst in Olympic history. Even Park himself raised Jones’ hand that night, acknowledging who the real winner was.
The fallout was immediate: two judges who scored for Park were banned, and Olympic boxing’s scoring system was overhauled in the years that followed. Still, Jones never received the medal he earned, and that changed in May 2023, when Park made a surprise visit to Jones’ ranch in Pensacola, Florida. Now 59, Park handed over his medal and raised Jones’ hand once again.
“I had the gold medal, but I wanted to give it back to you. It belongs to you,” Park told him, via his son’s translation. “This gold medal is your problem now.”
Jones, now 56, accepted the gesture with grace. Despite the setback in 1988, he went on to become one of the greatest fighters of his era - winning titles at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight, and cementing his place in the Hall of Fame. While Park, who never turned professional, became a gym teacher in South Korea but admitted the decision haunted him, contributing to years of depression and even a suicide attempt.
Image Credit: Sky Sports