From envelopes stuffed with cash to officials being bribed, how ‘crooked’ judges robbed Roy Jones Jr of Olympic gold
FROM envelopes stuffed with cash to “crooked” judges – Roy Jones Jr was robbed of a gold medal in Olympic boxing’s greatest-ever scandal.
Jones, just 19 at the time, eased his way to the 1988 light-middleweight final in Seoul to face home boxer Park Si-Hun.
And he looked to have made easy work of South Korea’s Park – landing 86 shots to the 32 against him.
Two standing eight-counts should have cemented Jones’ win and Olympic gold – but the fix was in.
Because only two of the five judges scored in favour of the American – to the disgust of those watching on.
After the shock result was read out, Italian referee Aldo Leoni is said to have whispered to Jones: “I can’t believe they’re doing this to you.”
Bob Kasule of Uganda, Uruguay’s Alberto Duran and Morocco’s Hiouad Larbi all shamefully scored the bout to Park.
And in a sensational confession straight after the bout, Moroccan Larbi admitted he gave it to Park on purpose to avoid a humiliating whitewash.
Larbi said: “The American won easily; so easily, in fact, that I was positive my four fellow judges would score the fight for the American by a wide margin.
“So I voted for the Korean to make the score only 4-1 for the American and not embarrass the host country.”
Larbi, Kasule and Duran were all suspended for six months pending an investigation – but they were eventually cleared by the International Boxing Association (AIBA).
Jones was awarded the Val Barker trophy as the best boxer of the 1988 Olympics – and the irony was not missed on him.
He told Joe Rogan in 2020: “Well, that’s a contradiction. How is the best boxer here not winning a gold medal?”
The IOC investigated the result and in 1997 they concluded that, while officials had been wined and dined, there was “no evidence of corruption in the boxing events in Seoul”.
In the years after Jones’ heartbreaking loss – more damning evidence came to light.
Because Karl-Heinz Wuhr -the general secretary of AIBA – also worked for the secret police agency of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
And when the Stasi’s secret files were released after the collapse of the Soviet Union, investigative journalist and author Andrew Jennings found allegations of outright bribery.
Wuhr wrote: “They [the host nation] did not miss a chance to try to corrupt or influence me.
I earned a gold medal that night in Seoul in 1988. Judges were crooked and I am sure they were not the only ones.
Roy Jones Jr
“They repeatedly attempted to persuade me to take back my decisions punishing judges they seemed to have an interest in.
“There were always judges prepared to declare a South Korean boxer victor, even if this was completely ludicrous.”
He alleged bribes had been paid to several judges, including three from Africa and one from South America.
Ref Leoni – from Jones’ infamous bout – supported the allegations.
He claimed an Argentine colleague had been offered an envelope stuffed with cash by the Korean boxing authorities.
A stunned Jones questioned whether he would ever be able to box on in the aftermath of his Olympic devastation.
But, it turned out to be a minor setback in an otherwise incredible career.
‘My life became gloomy’
Jones went on to become boxing’s biggest star of the late 1990s and early 2000s while winning titles in four weight divisions.
Park meanwhile lived to regret his tainted Olympic gold.
He told AP: “I didn’t want my hand to be raised, but it did go up, and my life became gloomy because of that.
“I keep thinking how my life would have been happier had I finished second.
“The emotional stress was like like being hit with a hammer on the back of your head, again and again.
“A gold medal is important, but isn’t any Olympic medal satisfying and glorious?”
Park battled suicidal thoughts following the loss and contemplated moving country amid the backlash of a result he could not control.
He retired from boxing after the controversy and spent 13 years as a high-school teacher before returning to the sport as a coach.
Jones did actually stay in touch with Park years on from their infamous bout – but the sickening feeling of unfair defeat followed him.
He said: “To see an opposition hand be raised by judges who were crooked, to have a wrong and injustice not being fixed.
“I earned a gold medal that night in Seoul in 1988. Judges were crooked and I am sure they were not the only ones.
“I can never forget that feeling, when they raised the Korean’s hand over mine.”
Park returned to coach the South Korean boxing team from 2001.
And Jones, 55, still continues to fight to this day, losing a decision to ex-UFC champ Anthony Pettis, 37, in April 2023.
In the years following his Olympic ordeal, he did receive a glimmer of redemption as two of the three judges were banned for life.
