CONTENTS Introduction 4 Captain Kirk 6 Biting and Fighting 8 The Man Who Ate Too Much 10 Big Papp 12 Young Guns 15 Before Ali 18 Fighting One-Handed 21 Big Man Little Flag 23 Stevenson’s Stage 26 The Spirit of 76 29 Real Deal Real Winner 32 Robbed of Gold 34 Keeping His Promise 36 Heir to Stevenson 39 The Games of 2012 44 Endnotes 46 Resources 47 Index 48 SUMMER OLYMPIC LEGENDS
INTRODUCTION Throughout human history people have always sought to challenge themselves to compete against others and to discover the limits of their capabilities Such desires can turn destructive leading to war But the ancient Greeks also recognized the good in these human traits and it was because of them that the Olympic Games featuring running races jumping contests throwing competitions and wrestling and boxing matches began more than 2,700 years ago The ancient Olympics ended in a d 393 but the Games were revived in 1896 in hopes of promoting world peace through sports Fittingly the first modern Olympics were held in Athens Greece but they moved around the world every four years after that In 2009 it was announced that the Games would be held in South America for the first time going to Rio de Janeiro Brazil in 2016 Every 1896 Olympian received a medal reading International Olympic Games Athens 1896 4
INTRODUCTION One of the Greeks original sports boxing puts two fighters into a ring a large square mat surrounded by ropes and each tries to score points by landing punches to the other’s head or body Judges watch the bouts and award points and the boxer with the most points wins the match Fighters can also win by knocking out their opponents KO or by displaying such dominance that the referee must stop the contest to protect the beaten fighter a technical knockout TKO The sport has evolved since it was introduced to the modern Olympics in 1904 In 1984 Olympic boxers were required for the first time to wear protective headgear and in 2012 in London England women’s boxing was to be part of the Games for the first time The Olympics have introduced the world to some of the greatest boxers in history Cassius Clay Muhammad Ali Joe Frazier George Foreman and Sugar Ray Leonard all won gold medals before going on to become professional champions Boxing has also been one of the most controversial sports in the Games with incidents of biting illegal punches and corrupt judges having changed the outcome of some matches or bouts However the grace with which some of those wronged fighters handled their heartbreaks and losses has helped make boxing one of the most inspirational sports on the Olympic stage Boxing is an ancient form of competition pure in its simplicity two people fight with nothing but fists 5
