At the 1988 Olympic Games, Roy Jones Jr. was robbed of his deserved reward. But his opponent in the final at the time, Si-Hun Park, provided a late happy ending.
Boxing is a tough sport – and yet the pugilism sometimes writes touching stories. As in the case of Roy Jones Jr. The US boxing icon was robbed of his deserved reward by a scandalous verdict at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul (South Korea). But Jones’ opponent in the final at the time, Si-Hun Park, provided a late happy ending with a moving gesture, as the boxing world has now learned.
For Jones Jr. it was like a miracle
Si-Hun Park traveled a long way to do so. The South Korean, now 59 years old, visited a gym in Pensacola (Florida) in the hope of meeting the man he had defeated 3:2 on points in the Olympic final in Seoul almost 36 years ago. Roy Jones Jr. was actually at the gym, assuming he was there to give a TV interview. What happened next was nothing short of a miracle for the wrestling hero, who later became professional world champion in five different weight classes.
One of the biggest misjudgments
Overwhelmed by this gesture of fair play, Jones accepted the gold medal from Park. The well-deserved award that the entire boxing world, with the exception of the three judges in the 1988 final, had awarded him. “A boxer simply knows whether he has won or lost a fight,” said the South Korean on receiving the medal. “I thought I had lost because I had not delivered a fight that deserved a win.” The verdict in the 1988 half-middleweight final is considered one of the biggest scandals in the history of amateur boxing.
The emotional reunion between Jones and Park took place over two years ago, but has only now been released in a short video. It was shot by Emmy award-winning filmmaker Johnny Sweet, as reported by Die Welt. “This is crazy,” comments Jones in the video as he slaps his forehead and holds the gold medal in his hands.
Although he lost the final, the officials voted Jones the best boxer of the tournament in Seoul in 1988. The judges, who had caused the Olympic scandal and were presumably bribed, were suspended. Park, on the other hand, was ashamed of his victory. He ended his career after the games in Seoul before later returning to boxing as a trainer.
Text: Frank Schwantes