In 1904, boxing made its debut at the Olympics in St. Louis, with all American participants. However, the sport is one of the oldest disciplines, having been held since the Ancient Olympics era, but the modern iteration of professional boxing surfaced around the 1700s.
After making its debut in 1904 and continuing in 1908, it was excluded from the 1912 Olympics due to Sweden's special permit issue. Regardless, boxing was added back at the 1920 Olympics and has been held ever since.
The top country in Olympic boxing is the United States; however, Cuba gave it tough competition but is still far away in the medal race since the United States has 117 medals, including 50 golds, while Cuba is second with 78 medals, including 41 golds—a margin of 39 medals between both leading countries.
Since 1920, boxing has been overseen by the Fédération Internationale de Boxe Amateur (FIBA), which was succeeded by the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA) in 1946 and followed by the International Boxing Association (IBA) 61 years later, in 2007. However, following its suspension in 2019 due to ethical and governance issues, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) de-recognized the IBA in 2023.
Read More : Olympic Gold Medal
The Year-by-Year List of Olympic Medalists of Team USA in Boxing
The year-by-year list of Olympic medalists for Team USA in boxing is as follows:
Year | Event | Name | Medal |
1904 | Flyweight, Men | George Finnegan | Gold |
1904 | Flyweight, Men | Miles Burke | Silver |
1904 | Bantamweight, Men | Oliver Kirk | Gold |
1904 | Bantamweight, Men | George Finnegan | Silver |
1904 | Featherweight, Men | Oliver Kirk | Gold |
1904 | Featherweight, Men | Frank Haller | Silver |
1904 | Featherweight, Men | Fred Gilmore | Bronze |
1904 | Lightweight, Men | Harry Spanjer | Gold |
1904 | Lightweight, Men | Russell Van Horn | Silver |
1904 | Lightweight, Men | Peter Sturholdt | Bronze |
1904 | Welterweight, Men | Al Young | Gold |
1904 | Welterweight, Men | Harry Spanjer | Silver |
1904 | Welterweight, Men | Joe Lydon | Bronze |
1904 | Middleweight, Men | Charles Mayer | Gold |
1904 | Middleweight, Men | Ben Spradling | Silver |
1904 | Heavyweight, Men | Sam Berger | Gold |
1904 | Heavyweight, Men | Charles Mayer | Silver |
1904 | Heavyweight, Men | Bill Michaels | Bronze |
1920 | Flyweight, Men | Frankie Genaro | Gold |
1920 | Lightweight, Men | Sammy Mosberg | Gold |
1920 | Welterweight, Men | Fred Kolberg | Bronze |
1920 | Light-Heavyweight, Men | Eddie Eagan | Gold |
1924 | Flyweight, Men | Fidel LaBarba | Gold |
1924 | Flyweight, Men | Ray Fee | Bronze |
1924 | Bantamweight, Men | Al Tripoli | Silver |
1924 | Featherweight, Men | Jackie Fields | Gold |
1924 | Featherweight, Men | Joe Salas | Silver |
1924 | Lightweight, Men | Fred Boylstein | Bronze |
1928 | Bantamweight, Men | John Daley | Silver |
1928 | Featherweight, Men | Harry Devine | Bronze |
1928 | Lightweight, Men | Steve Halaiko | Silver |
1932 | Flyweight, Men | Lou Salica | Bronze |
1932 | Lightweight, Men | Nat Bor | Bronze |
1932 | Welterweight, Men | Eddie Flynn | Gold |
1932 | Middleweight, Men | Carmen Barth | Gold |
1932 | Heavyweight, Men | Fred Feary | Bronze |
1936 | Flyweight, Men | Lou Laurie | Bronze |
1936 | Bantamweight, Men | Jackie Wilson | Silver |
1948 | Welterweight, Men | Hank Herring | Silver |
1952 | Flyweight, Men | Nate Brooks | Gold |
1952 | Light-Welterweight, Men | Chuck Adkins | Gold |
1952 | Middleweight, Men | Floyd Patterson | Gold |
1952 | Light-Heavyweight, Men | Norvel Lee | Gold |
1952 | Heavyweight, Men | Ed Sanders | Gold |
1956 | Light-Middleweight, Men | José Torres | Silver |
1956 | Light-Heavyweight, Men | Jim Boyd | Gold |
1956 | Heavyweight, Men | Pete Rademacher | Gold |
1960 | Light-Welterweight, Men | Quincey Daniels | Bronze |
1960 | Light-Middleweight, Men | Wilbert McClure | Gold |
1960 | Middleweight, Men | Eddie Crook | Gold |
1960 | Light-Heavyweight, Men | Cassius Clay | Gold |
1964 | Flyweight, Men | Bob Carmody | Bronze |
1964 | Featherweight, Men | Charlie Brown | Bronze |
1964 | Lightweight, Men | Ronnie Harris | Bronze |
1964 | Heavyweight, Men | Joe Frazier | Gold |
1968 | Light-Flyweight, Men | Harlan Marbley | Bronze |
1968 | Featherweight, Men | Al Robinson | Silver |
1968 | Lightweight, Men | Ronnie Harris | Gold |
1968 | Light-Welterweight, Men | Jim Wallington | Bronze |
1968 | Light-Middleweight, Men | Johnny Baldwin | Bronze |
1968 | Middleweight, Men | Al Jones | Bronze |
1968 | Heavyweight, Men | George Foreman | Gold |
1972 | Bantamweight, Men | Ricardo Carreras | Bronze |
1972 | Light-Welterweight, Men | Ray Seales | Gold |
1972 | Welterweight, Men | Jesse Valdez | Bronze |
1972 | Middleweight, Men | Marvin Johnson | Bronze |
1976 | Flyweight, Men | Leo Randolph | Gold |
1976 | Bantamweight, Men | Charlie Mooney | Silver |
1976 | Lightweight, Men | Howard Davis, Jr. | Gold |
1976 | Light-Welterweight, Men | Sugar Ray Leonard | Gold |
1976 | Middleweight, Men | Michael Spinks | Gold |
1976 | Light-Heavyweight, Men | Leon Spinks | Gold |
1976 | Heavyweight, Men | Johnny Tate | Bronze |
1984 | Light-Flyweight, Men | Paul Gonzales, Jr. | Gold |
1984 | Flyweight, Men | Steve McCrory | Gold |
1984 | Featherweight, Men | Meldrick Taylor | Gold |
1984 | Lightweight, Men | Pernell Whitaker | Gold |
1984 | Light-Welterweight, Men | Jerry Page | Gold |
1984 | Welterweight, Men | Mark Breland | Gold |
1984 | Light-Middleweight, Men | Frank Tate | Gold |
1984 | Middleweight, Men | Virgil Hill | Silver |
1984 | Light-Heavyweight, Men | Evander Holyfield | Bronze |
1984 | Heavyweight, Men | Henry Tillman | Gold |
1984 | Super-Heavyweight, Men | Tyrell Biggs | Gold |
1988 | Light-Flyweight, Men | Michael Carbajal | Silver |
1988 | Bantamweight, Men | Kennedy McKinney | Gold |
1988 | Lightweight, Men | Romallis Ellis | Bronze |
1988 | Welterweight, Men | Kenny Gould | Bronze |
1988 | Light-Middleweight, Men | Roy Jones, Jr. | Silver |
1988 | Light-Heavyweight, Men | Andrew Maynard | Gold |
1988 | Heavyweight, Men | Ray Mercer | Gold |
1988 | Super-Heavyweight, Men | Riddick Bowe | Silver |
1992 | Flyweight, Men | Tim Austin | Bronze |
1992 | Lightweight, Men | Oscar De La Hoya | Gold |
1992 | Middleweight, Men | Chris Byrd | Silver |
1996 | Featherweight, Men | Floyd Mayweather, Jr. | Bronze |
1996 | Lightweight, Men | Terrance Cauthen | Bronze |
1996 | Light-Middleweight, Men | David Reid | Gold |
1996 | Middleweight, Men | Rhoshii Wells | Bronze |
1996 | Light-Heavyweight, Men | Antonio Tarver | Bronze |
1996 | Heavyweight, Men | Nate Jones | Bronze |
2000 | Bantamweight, Men | Clarence Vinson | Bronze |
2000 | Featherweight, Men | Rocky Juárez | Silver |
2000 | Light-Welterweight, Men | Ricardo Williams, Jr. | Silver |
2000 | Light-Middleweight, Men | Jermain Taylor | Bronze |
2004 | Middleweight, Men | Andre Dirrell | Bronze |
2004 | Light-Heavyweight, Men | Andre Ward | Gold |
2008 | Heavyweight, Men | Deontay Wilder | Bronze |
2012 | Flyweight, Women | Marlen Esparza | Bronze |
2012 | Middleweight, Women | Claressa Shields | Gold |
2016 | Light-Flyweight, Men | Nico Hernandez | Bronze |
2016 | Bantamweight, Men | Shakur Stevenson | Silver |
2016 | Middleweight, Women | Claressa Shields | Gold |
2020 | Featherweight, Men | Duke Ragan | Silver |
2020 | Lightweight, Men | Keyshawn Davis | Silver |
2020 | Super-Heavyweight, Men | Richard Torrez | Silver |
2020 | Welterweight, Women | Oshae Jones | Bronze |
Read More : List of Olympic Medalists of USA Team in Archery
FAQ's On Olympic Medalists in Boxing
A. Yes, boxing has been included in the 32 sports held at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
A. Yes, boxing is an Olympic sport, first making its debut at the 1904 Olympics.
A. Yes, Muhammad Ali, then Cassius Clay, competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal in the light-heavyweight division.
A. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, there are 125 male and 124 female boxers, totaling 249, to compete at the event.
A. While not competing in the Summer Olympics, Mike Tyson took home gold medals from the Junior Olympic Games in 1981 and 1982.