The 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles were a tremendous spectacle that showcased hundreds of young athletes. However, many of the best athletes in the world were absent because the Soviet Union and it’s allies boycotted the games in retaliation for the United States doing the same thing in 1980.
Most of the sports were affected, and as much as any was boxing. The US fielded a tremendous team to compete that summer, many who went on to become professional world champions. A list of boxers from that team included Evander Holyfield, Meldrick Taylor, Pernell Whitaker, Tyrell Biggs, Virgil Hill and Mark Breland. Mike Tyson actually lost in the Olympic trials that year to Henry Tillman, and didn’t even make the squad.
The pageantry of the games was something I’ll never forget that summer, having been off from work sick for a few weeks, and getting a chance to watch it morning, noon and night. It would also be the last time Howard Cosell would announce boxing of any kind. It was a passage in many a sense, and the games would usher in a slew of young boxers to refresh the professional ranks like never before. Of all the Olympic games in my lifetime, it is by far my favorite.
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