Fool's Gold? The 1984 U.S. Dream Team and the Soviet Boycott

The legendary 1984 U.S. amateur boxing squad will forever be enshrined in the annals of history for their performance at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, capturing no less than 9 gold medals on home soil. Featuring the likes of generational talents such as Pernell Whitaker, Mark Breland and Evander Holyfield, there’s a compelling case that this was the strongest U.S. team to ever compete in the Olympics.

However, there’s one big asterisk that hangs over the ‘84 team: the fact that a number of communist countries, including Cuba, the Soviet Union, East Germany, Bulgaria and North Korea, didn’t attend the Olympics that year. Considering that Cuba alone had won 5 golds to the USA’s 3 at the 1982 World Championships two years prior, the medal table at the 1984 Olympics may well have looked very different. So how would the U.S. boxing team have fared if the boycott never happened?

It’s an interesting hypothetical, and one that is particularly useful in assessing just how good the ‘84 team really was, so let’s work our way through the weight classes and take a look at some of the would-be challengers to America’s gold-medalists. Kicking things off, we’ll start with light-flyweight.

Light-flyweight (48kg)

Paul Gonzales took light-flyweight gold for the U.S. in Los Angeles, having received a walkover victory against Italy’s Salvatore Todisco in the final, and also claimed the prestigious Val Barker trophy for most outstanding boxer of the tournament. However, the Olympic field was missing a number of the division’s elite, most of whom hailed from the communist states. With reigning light-flyweight world champion Ismail Mustafov of Bulgaria sidelined for the majority of 1984 due to illness anyway, Gonzales’ toughest test would have likely been 24 year-old Cuban Juan Torres Odelín, who would go on to become light-flyweight world champion in 1986.

Odelín enjoyed an impressive season in 1984, claiming top spot at the Cuban nationals before triumphing over a deep 48kg field at Giraldo Cordova Cardín. He followed this up by competing at the Friendship Games - an alternative Olympics of sorts organised by the socialist states - in Havana, and beat some of the finest light-flyweights in the world en route to gold. The sole blemish on his record came by way of a stoppage loss to Gonzales’ domestic rival Jose Rosario at the USA-Cuba Duals, in a fight where Odelín appeared to outbox his opponent early only for Rosario to take over after forcing the fight on the inside. Whilst Rosario’s success might indicate that Gonzales would have similarly handled the Cuban, it’s worth noting that the latter wasn't nearly as aggressive or tenacious up-close, and stylistically he would have obliged Odelín by keeping the fight at his preferred range.

Other potential challengers would have been Soviet national champion Karimzhan Abdrakhmanov, who took silver at the Friendship Games after dropping a tight 3:2 split decision to Cuba’s Odelín in the final, as well as North Korea’s Chang-Yong Choi, who won the prestigious TSC tournament in East Berlin. Whilst I don’t think either man would have claimed gold, they both had the ability to go on deep runs.

We’ve talked about some of the other contenders at the weight, but what about Gonzales himself? The 20 year-old Gonzales was a fine amateur in his own right, with his best wins coming over reigning Olympic champion Shamil Sabirov of the USSR in 1983 as well as Jose Rosario at the Olympic trials. That being said, Sabirov was on the downside of his career, and Gonzales had also shown some vulnerability in losing the 1983 Pan-American Games final to Puerto Rico’s Rafael Ramos as well as dropping a decision to Cuba’s Hipólito Ramos in the Duals. All things considered, I’d lean towards Gonzales just shading Odelín in the final, with home advantage seeing the American over the line. It’d be tight, however.

Verdict - Gonzales squeezes past Cuba’s Juan Torres Odelín to take gold.

Flyweight (51kg)

20 year-old Steve McCrory’s rapid rise to the pinnacle of amateur boxing was an unlikely story - indeed, the Detroit native only just made it onto the national team for the tournament, having narrowly beaten World Championship silver medalist Michael Collins by 3:2 split-decision at the U.S. Olympic Trials. But he quickly justified his inclusion on the ‘Dream Team’ with a string of impressive performances en route to the final, where he beat Yugoslavia’s Redzep Redzepovski to earn gold for the home nation. Would it have been the same outcome if the elite flyweights of the communist nations had taken part, though?

Probably not. Instead, Cuban puncher Pedro Orlando Reyes would have been rightfully favoured to take gold in Los Angeles. Reyes was widely considered the finest flyweight in the world at the time, having won the 1983 Pan-American Games with victory over Laureano Ramírez (who himself beat McCrory in the semi’s) as well as dominating the field at the 1984 Friendship Games, which included a stoppage win over Soviet champion Yuriy Vilishchuk. Indeed, Reyes’ closest rival at the time might have been back home in Cuba, in the form of a young Julio González (who would go on to become world champion at lightweight five years later). González beat Reyes in the final of the ‘84 Cordova Cardín tournament, but Reyes got his revenge in the national championship final and asserted his status as Cuba’s #1 at 51kg.

So what makes me so confident in picking Reyes to take gold ahead of McCrory? Well, it certainly doesn’t hurt Reyes’ case that he’d already decisively beaten McCrory twice that year, including a comprehensive 5:0 points win at the US-Cuba Duals as well as a stoppage over the American in the second round of their meeting at the AIBA Challenge Matches, which took place in Los Angeles.

As good as McCrory was, realistically Reyes was just a little better. Although considering some of the dodgy decisions that year at flyweight (cough cough Redzepowski’s robbery win over Australia’s Jeff Fenech), anything could have happened.

Verdict - Cuba’s Pedro Orlando Reyes cements his status as the best at 51kg and captures gold.

Featherweight (57kg)

I’ve skipped past bantamweight here, mainly because America’s Robert Shannon failed to medal in the first place. Instead, we’ll move on to taking a look at featherweight (57kg), where Meldrick Taylor - a fighter whose talent is often overlooked by that last second KO loss to Chavez - won Olympic gold at just 17 years old. Much like McCrory, Taylor was fortunate to make it to Los Angeles in the first place. He lost in the Olympic Trials to Andrew Minsker, but sealed his place on the the team with back-to-back victories over Minsker in the Olympic box-offs. Taylor subsequently triumphed over a weak field at the games, beating Nigeria’s Peter Konyegwachie to add another gold medal to the Dream Team’s collection.

Whilst Taylor’s achievement was no doubt impressive given his age, this division in particular feels somewhat hollow - largely due to the absence of both reigning featherweight world champion Adolfo Horta of Cuba as well as the Soviet Union’s Serik Nurkazov.

The omission of Horta in particular was a real shame, especially considering that he and Taylor had some unfinished business to settle. The pair met earlier in 1984 at the US-Cuba Duals, with Taylor getting the nod via a controversial 3:2 split-decision despite being dropped and hurt throughout. The result left a bitter taste in the mouth, and a rematch between Horta and Taylor would have been amongst the most anticipated matchups at the games.

But of course it never materialised, and Horta missed out on the chance to upgrade his silver medal at the 1980 Olympics to gold. Instead he claimed victory at the ‘84 Friendship Games in Cuba, beating the Soviet Nurkazov in the final by close split-decision. There’s a real chance that both Horta and Nurkazov were truly the best featherweights in the world at the time, but were sadly unable to prove it at the Olympics.

If the communist states were to have competed, I like Horta to avenge his loss against Taylor and claim the one prize that eluded him throughout his illustrious career - an Olympic crown. Horta’s superior timing and craft would’ve offset the American’s vaunted speed, and his edge in experience would’ve been enough to earn the win.

Verdict - Cuba’s Adolfo Horta bags Olympic gold with a win over Taylor.

Lightweight (60kg)

So far, its been a clean sweep for the Soviet states - or more accurately, Cuba - against the U.S. Dream Team. But there’s one young American who I think would have taken gold over any other lightweight in the world in Los Angeles. You might have heard of him - his name was Pernell Whitaker.

The 20 year-old ‘Sweet Pea’ was already a prodigiously talented boxer, having taken silver at the 1982 World Championships two years prior after dropping a close decision to Cuba’s legendary Ángel Herrera in the final. Whitaker gained revenge over Herrera in the 1983 Pan-Ams final, routing the Cuban over three rounds to stake his claim as the premier lightweight in the division. The pair appeared to be on a collision course in Los Angeles, with the chance to close out their rivalry on the biggest stage of all.

Unfortunately, we were robbed of one of the all-time great clashes due to the Soviet boycott, and instead Whitaker cruised to gold after dominating Puerto Rico’s Luis Ortiz in the final. How would it have gone down if the pair had met one final time, though?

Perhaps the fact that Herrera and Whitaker squared off a few months prior at the US-Cuba Duals gives some indication of what would’ve happened. In a tightly contested affair, ‘Sweet Pea’ controversially won a 3:2 split-decision over his arch-rival despite being knocked down in the second round. Herrera fought an intelligent fight, foregoing his typical style in favour of forcing Whitaker to take the lead more than he was used to. The win would’ve been all but sealed if not for Whitaker coming on strong in the final round, which saw him edge it in the eyes of the judges.

That being said, I’d have favoured Whitaker if they were to have fought at the Olympics later that year. The Cuban would have had some success in forcing Whitaker to come forward rather than obliging him on the back-foot, but ultimately his performance at the Duals felt like lightning in a bottle, the valiant last stand of an ageing great who produced one of the finest displays of his career. I think a dialed-in Whitaker, buoyed by the support of his home crowd, would’ve beaten just about any lightweight in amateur boxing history in LA, and it speaks volumes to my respect for Herrera that I wouldn’t rule him out entirely.

Verdict - Pernell Whitaker closes the book on his rivalry with Ángel Herrera by beating the Cuban in the final to take gold.

Light-welterweight (63.5kg)

In what was arguably the fight of the tournament, Ohio-born Jerry Page went to war with the relentless Dhawee Umponmaha of Thailand in the light-welterweight final. Whilst Page got the nod to take gold in a decision which can be described as highly questionable at best, the American would have had an even tougher time against the best light-welters the communist states had to offer.

In particular, Cuba’s Candelario Duvergel and Vyacheslav Yanovskiy of the USSR stood out from the rest of the pack at 63.5kg. Duvergel had won light-welterweight gold at the Pan-American Games the year prior, beating none other than Page in the final. The Cuban briefly moved up in weight and captured the national title at welterweight, but returned to light-welter after a young Ángel Espinosa could no longer make the weight. At the Friendship Games, Duvergel staked his claim as the best light-welterweight in the world with a strong run that saw him edge out the Soviet Union’s Vyacheslav Yanovskiy in the final.

Yanovskiy himself was one of the strongest fighters in the division, and despite failing to win the Soviet national championship after coming up short to reigning European champion Vasiliy Shishov in the final, Yanovskiy pipped his rival to a spot on the national team after impressively winning the Cordova Cardín tournament in Cuba - a rare feat considering the home nation’s domination of the tournament. Whilst the Belarusian took silver at the Friendship Games, he would claim Olympic gold at light-welterweight in Seoul four years later.

Page was no pushover, however. He earned a career high win against Soviet national champion Vasiliy Shisov in 1983, and despite dropping a decision to Timmy Rabon in the Olympic trials Page battled back to beat Rabon at the box-offs and secure his spot on the ‘Dream Team’. For all of Jerry Page’s heart and skill though, Cuba’s Duvergel would likely have proved a step too far for him if they were to have met in Los Angeles. When I spoke to Page last year, he admitted the Cuban was the best opponent he had fought in an amateur career spanning over 110 bouts. I’d have also give Yanovskiy a good shot of beating the American, and he’d have been a tough out at the very least. There were the potential for some fantastic fights in this division, and it’s gutting to think what could have been.

Verdict - Cuba’s Candelario Duvergel goes all the way in Los Angeles and becomes Olympic champion.

Welterweight (67kg)

Mark Breland remains arguably the greatest amateur boxer in U.S. history, boasting a near-flawless record of 110 wins and 1 loss (which came near the start of his career), and was rated the #1 welterweight in the world by the AIBA in 1984. The rangy American stormed to Olympic gold that year, beating South Korea’s Yong-Su Ahn in the final, but would anyone from the communist states have been able to get the better of him in Los Angeles?

Breland’s closest rival at the time was the great Serik Konakbayev of the U.S.S.R, which would have been a particularly interesting matchup given their history with one another - Breland had bested Konakbayev in the 1982 World Championship final, with the Soviet being regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world at the time. The bout began as a tactical affair, until the American dropped his rival late in the second round via a thunderous right hand and edged ahead. Breland’s victory made him a star, and even in defeat Konakbayev was still regarded as his biggest threat to gold in Los Angeles.

Sadly the pair never met again in the amateurs, with Konakbayev being denied a second crack at the American at the Olympics due to the communist boycott. Breland had been Konakbayev’s white whale, and with the prospect of a rematch shattered the Soviet no longer felt the desire to compete. He retired shortly after, but was persuaded to come back for one last tournament and compete at the Friendship Games in Havana. Konakbayev’s heart wasn’t in it, though, and he slumped to bronze after losing to home fighter Jose Luis Hernandez (an opponent he’d previously beaten) in the semi-finals before hanging up the gloves for good.

The rematch between Breland and Konakbayev remains yet another one of the great ‘what-if’s’ had the Soviets taken part at the games, and promised to be a brilliant bout between the two pre-eminent talents of their generation.

East Germany’s Torsten Schmitz and Jose Luis Hernandez of Cuba also warrant mention, having taken gold & silver at the Friendship Games respectively. Schmitz, then just 19 years-old, outpointed Hernandez in what was the second matchup of their 7-fight rivalry. Despite his early promise, the East German would go on to have a somewhat underwhelming amateur stint with his victory at the Friendship Games being the highlight of his career. As for Hernandez, the Cuban would often find himself always the bridesmaid and never the bride, a fighter overshadowed by the likes of Candelario Duvergel, José Aguilar and Andres Aldama. Although both men were in good form ahead of the Olympics, it’s very unlikely that they would have been able to prevent Breland from seizing gold in LA - the American was near-untouchable at 67kg.

Verdict - Breland marches to welterweight gold, edging Konakbayev in a close fight along the way.

Light-middleweight (71kg)

First things first; Canada’s Shawn O’Sullivan deserved the decision over Frank Tate of the USA in the light-middleweight final. But O’Sullivan was denied victory, and Tate became the Olympic gold medalist at 71kg. Then again, the Canadian couldn’t complain too much - he was fortunate to have been in the final at all, having benefitted from some dubious scorecards against France’s Christophe Tiozzo in the semi’s.

Despite the fact that Frank Tate was one of the weaker boxers on the U.S. national team that year, in all truth there were hardly any light-middleweights outside of the Olympic field poised to contend in Los Angeles. The division was in somewhat of a transition period, with reigning world champion Aleksandr Koshkin of the U.S.S.R. being forced to retire in 1983 due to persistent hand injuries. Olympic champion Armando Martínez of Cuba fared little better - despite being just 22 years-old, he was also plagued with injury woes and hung up the gloves a few months prior to the Olympics. However, there was one young gem emerging from the island of Cuba with the kind of exceptional talent that couldn’t be counted out. His name was Ángel Espinosa, and he would go on to become one of the most fearsome amateur boxers in the sport’s history.

Espinosa was just 18 years-old in 1984, but he’d already turned heads in boxing circles with a stunning 2nd round KO of Meldrick Taylor (ring any bells?) in the final of the Junior World Championships. After becoming national champion at light-welterweight at the start of the year, Espinosa moved up to 71kg where he lost a back-and-forth war with Armando Martínez in what would be the latter’s penultimate fight. Despite the setback, Martínez announced his retirement shortly after and Espinosa claimed the national team spot for the upcoming Friendship Games.

Squaring off against some of the finest light-middleweights from the communist nations, Espinosa seized his opportunity in Havana and came out on top at 71kg. After a pair of tense split-decision wins over Soviet champion Andrey Akulov and Michael Timm of East Germany, Espinosa beat Bulgaria’s Mikhail Takov in the final to announce himself as the best light-middleweight in the world outside of the Olympics.

But how would Espinosa have fared if he had competed in Los Angeles? As special as the Cuban was, he might have just been a little too raw at that point for me to favour him to take gold. If Espinosa was one or two years older I’d pick him without any hesitation, but it’s difficult to see the green Espinosa who struggled with Martínez not having a difficult time against someone like O’Sullivan. He could well have beaten Tate, who was only 19 himself at the time, but considering the judging in the final Espinosa would have had to win in dominant fashion to get a decision.

Verdict - It seems that Tate was always going to win gold in LA whether it was justified or not.

Light-heavyweight (81kg)

Whilst we’ve only looked at divisions where Team U.S.A have taken gold so far (hence why bantamweight and middleweight haven’t featured), I’m going to make an exception for light-heavyweight given the controversial circumstances of it’s conclusion. For those that aren’t familiar with what happened, America’s Evander Holyfield - then just 21 years-old - was disqualified in his semi-final bout against New Zealand’s Kevin Barry for knocking the Kiwi out after the referee had allegedly called a break. Holyfield had to settle for a disappointing bronze medal, whilst Barry was ruled out of the final on medical grounds which resulted in Yugoslavia’s Anton Josipovic taking gold by walkover. Had he rightfully advanced, Holyfield would’ve been a clear favourite to become Olympic champion - despite the fact that he nearly didn’t make it to the games at all.

Instead, it was Kronk gym standout Rick Womack who was all but nailed on to represent the U.S. in Los Angeles. A two-weight national champion with a string of impressive victories (including a first round stoppage of world champion Pablo Romero), many predicted imminent glory for ‘Wonderful’ Womack. But Holyfield, then an outside bet to make the Olympic squad, didn’t read the script. Having lost to Womack the year prior at the national championships, ‘the Real Deal’ took his revenge and edged his rival at the Box-Offs - twice - to secure an unlikely Olympic berth. Holyfield would go on to dominate the competition in LA, stopping all of his opponents inside the distance before running into Kevin Barry in that infamous semi-final.

Considering the rich vein of form that Holyfield was in, could anyone - other than the referee, of course - have stopped him from taking gold? Well, one man may very well have done - Cuba’s Pablo Romero, the reigning world champion at 81kg. Romero was considered one of the two best light-heavyweights in the world alongside Womack, and further proved his credentials by dominating the 1984 Friendship Games. Whilst he’d struggled with the brawling style of Womack, who blitzed him inside a round earlier that year, Romero matched up far more favourably with Holyfield.

The pair had already met twice, with the Cuban coming out on top both times. Although their first clash in the final of the 1983 Pan-American Games was close, Romero affirmed his superiority with a wide decision victory over Holyfield when they fought in the 1984 US-Cuba Duals. I could see a matchup at the Olympics going a similar way - Holyfield starting fast, only to tire by the second round as Romero began to take over with his accurate punching and more consistent output.

Verdict - Holyfield was very much ‘the Real Deal’, but Cuba’s Pablo Romero gets the better of him once again in Los Angeles and clinches light-heavyweight gold.

Heavyweight (91kg)

Out of all the divisions we’ve covered, heavyweight is probably the toughest one to call. That’s partly because there wasn’t a clear #1, with any of the elite capable of beating one another on their day, but it’s also down to the fact that the judging at 91kg was nothing short of shambolic. Heavyweight gave us some of the worst decisions ever seen at the Olympics, most notably American Henry Tillman’s semi-final win over Angelo Musone of Italy in a decision legendary commentator Howard Cosell labelled ‘absurd’. Canadian top-seed Willie deWit also enjoyed a slice of good fortune against future Dutch great Arnold Vanderlyde, eking out a razor-thin split-decision to advance to the gold medal match.

True to form, the final itself was a controversial affair as Tillman was awarded a unanimous decision victory over DeWit despite most onlookers, including Cosell, disagreeing with the verdict. Nevertheless, the American became the eighth man to take gold for the home nation, deserving or not.

Meanwhile on the other side of the iron curtain, the landscape at heavyweight was similarly unclear. The three standouts were reigning world champion Alexandr Yagubkin of the Soviet Union, who was considered the best at 91kg alongside DeWit, as well as the Cuban double threat of Aurelio Toyo and Hermenegildo Baez. The trio had split a number of victories over one another, and were all in white-hot form coming into the 1984 season.

At the start of the year, Toyo underlined his status as Cuba’s #1 with victory over Baez at the national championships. However, the latter’s triumph at Cordova Cardín a few months later saw him pip ahead of Toyo in the pecking order and get the call up to compete at the Friendship Games. In the semi-finals Baez met Yagubkin in a showdown between two of the division’s best, with the Cuban picking up a split-decision win in a fight that could have gone either way. Baez would tiptoe past Hungary’s Gyula Avics in the final to take gold, asserting himself as the leading heavyweight from the communist states.

Realistically though, any one of Baez, Yagubkin and Toyo could have claimed gold at the Olympics. The Cuban pair had a win apiece over Olympic champion Henry Tillman in the past year, whilst Yagubkin had beaten the likes of DeWit, Musone and Vanderlyde. That being said, it’s unlikely that they would have gotten a fair shake in Los Angeles given the incompetence of the judges.

Verdict - I’m reluctant to make a pick here because of how open heavyweight was, but gun to my head I’d take Baez by a slim margin over the likes of DeWit and Yagubkin, and more confidently against Tillman.

Super-heavyweight (91+kg)

In the land of the giants, 20 year-old Tyrell Biggs of the United States was the favourite to take gold at super-heavyweight, having become world champion in 1982 with a hard-fought victory over Italy’s Francesco Damiani in the final. Despite his impressive accomplishments however, Biggs had never quite won the hearts of the American public. An athletically gifted pugilist with elusive movement and a snappy jab, the Philadelphia native was more of a boxer than a fighter, and wasn’t suited for the kind of all-action fights that fans clamoured after.

Yet the 1984 Olympics provided Biggs with the opportunity to finally get the credit he deserved, and silence his critics by bringing home gold. After winning his opening match, Biggs faced a young Lennox Lewis - who would go on to become Olympic champion himself four years later - in the quarter-finals. The first two rounds were cagey, which favoured Biggs as he outworked Lewis off the back of a persistent jab, but the Canadian came on in the third to finish strong. Ultimately Biggs’ greater experience trumped the raw ability of Lewis, as he won by unanimous decision.

In the final, Biggs’ opponent was familiar rival Damiani - then the top ranked super-heavyweight in the world. From the opening bell the pattern was set; Biggs on his toes, popping the jab and circling as the rugged Italian pursued. But it was the American’s cleaner, more accurate work that proved decisive, as Biggs took a close but clear decision to become Olympic champion in front of his home crowd.

It was the highlight of Biggs’ career, and should have cemented him as the best super-heavyweight on the planet. Yet the towering figure of one man loomed over the super-heavyweight division in Los Angeles

With three successive gold medals to his name, Cuba’s Teófilo Stevenson had already secured his legacy as the greatest amateur boxer of all time. The legendary Cuban had reached a level of fame unheard of in the unpaid ranks, a national icon beloved by his people and respected by his opponents.

By 1984 however, a 32 year-old Stevenson was much closer to the end of his career than its peak. After suffering a shock loss to Italy’s Damiani at the World Championships two years prior, whispers of Stevenson being over the hill soon began to circulate. They only grew louder after a dire 1983 campaign, in which Stevenson lost 4 out of the 5 fights he competed in. Gone was the fast, slender boxer-puncher of old; this iteration of Stevenson cut a burlier figure, and traded on fearsome power and veteran savvy as his athletic gifts waned.

But the ageing Cuban was still a force to be reckoned with, having knocked out newly-crowned world champion Biggs at the end of the 1982 season. Stevenson enjoyed something of a resurgence in 1984, re-establishing himself as the Cuban #1 with victory at the national championships to set up an eagerly-anticipated rematch with Biggs at the US-Cuba Duals.

The significance of the fight for both men was huge - Stevenson was out to prove that, in a new generation of hungry young guns, he remained the man to beat whilst Biggs looked to finally step out of the Cuban’s shadow and excoriate the painful memory of their last meeting.

A close fight ensued, with Biggs employing his trademark movement as a visibly-slower Stevenson stalked him around the ring. A knockdown late in the third round proved the difference, as Stevenson walked away with a 3:2 split-decision victory. At the second time of asking, Biggs had once again fallen short.

Which brings us to the question on everybody’s minds - would Stevenson have captured an unprecedented fourth Olympic gold in Los Angeles? Judging by the Cuban’s success at the Friendship Games, where he stopped two tough opponents in East Germany’s Ulli Kaden and Valeriy Abadzhyan, you’d be hard pressed to pick against him in that kind of form. I think Biggs would’ve enjoyed some early success, but ultimately crumbled late against the formidable veteran.

Verdict - Cuba’s Teófilo Stevenson becomes the first four-time Olympic champion in amateur boxing history with a hard-earned decision over Tyrell Biggs in the final.

Parting Thoughts

So there you have it; after tallying up my predictions, I’d have favoured the ‘Dream Team’ to take four Olympic gold medals on home soil, with Cuba capturing six. That is, of course, excluding bantamweight and middleweight, where the Cuban’s could very well have enjoyed more success with the pairing of Ramon Ledon and 75kg world champion Bernardo Comas. One thing is for sure though - the 1984 U.S. national team was one of the most talented lineups ever to compete in the games, and it’s worth remembering that a number of the American representatives were considerably younger - and less experienced - than their Cuban and Soviet counterparts.

On a final note, it’s a great shame to discuss some of these fantastic matchups and remember that the athletes from the communist states, many of whom had been dreaming of competing at the Olympics all of their lives, were denied the chance to shine on the brightest stage of all. By writing pieces like this, I hope to preserve their legacy and ensure they are remembered for the next generation to enjoy.