Which boxer won heavyweight Olympic gold for the United States in 1968?

George Foreman won heavyweight Olympic gold for the United States in 1968.

Foreman captured the medal at the Mexico City Olympics when he was 19 years old. In the final, he faced Jonas Čepulis of the Soviet Union, a Lithuanian boxer and experienced amateur. The referee stopped the contest in the second round, giving Foreman the heavyweight title.

Foreman’s route to the final included a points victory over Poland’s Lucjan Trela, a stoppage of Romania’s Ion Alexe and a second-round knockout of Italy’s Giorgio Bambini. After defeating Čepulis, Foreman carried a small American flag around the ring and bowed to the crowd, a celebration that became one of the memorable images of his amateur career.

He turned professional in 1969 and quickly developed into a major heavyweight puncher. In 1973, Foreman won the undisputed world heavyweight championship by stopping Joe Frazier in the second round. The most common Olympic mix-up is Joe Frazier, who won heavyweight gold for the United States at the 1964 Tokyo Games, four years before Foreman.