Bakhodir Djalolov won his second consecutive Olympic super-heavyweight gold medal at Roland Garros on Saturday.
The tall Uzbek fighter had a dominant win over Spain's Ayub Gadfa, giving his opponent two counts in the first round alone before taking a unanimous decision victory.
The final was the final bout of the 2024 Paris Olympic tournament and is currently expected to be the last Olympic boxing event.
But the Olympics could be the last word for boxing.
The sport is not included in the next Games in 2028 as there is currently no recognized body governing the sport.
The IBA, the federation that historically governed international amateur sports, has been banned from governing Olympic events. The IOC is adamant that boxing can only return to the Olympics under the jurisdiction of a new federation.
A new organization called World Boxing has been formed with the aim of saving the Olympic sport, but time is running out.
“I think it’s really important to have boxing at the next Olympics,” said Australia’s Kaitlyn Parker, who won middleweight bronze at Saturday’s medal ceremony. “Boxing is one of the oldest Olympic sports. I think today and throughout this Games, it showed how important boxing is. Boxing is popular, it draws people in, and I think people need to make it happen.
“I will keep talking about it because it is every kid's dream. It was my dream, and to come to my second Olympics and be on the podium is a dream come true.
“And I hope that happens to other people too.”
Chinese Olympic champion Li Chen lent his voice to the campaign, adding simply but clearly: “I agree.”
Dominating super heavyweight
Jalop opened a clinic in his quest to win the last Olympic gold medal in boxing history.
He dominated the guard with a long southpaw jab and seized the moment to land a powerful straight left.
A big cross gave the Spaniard a standing count in the first round. Jalolov then jumped in and tried to strike while Ghadfa was vulnerable, but accidentally landed a right-handed punch.
But this provoked a violent reaction and another hard blow earned the Spaniard a second count.
He kept getting up but was unable to establish himself in the competition.
Jalolov continued his aggressive approach in the second round. He confused Ghadfa, threw a left and then a solid right. The Spaniard was not prepared for such shots and they caught him cleanly.
The Uzbek fighter dominated Guardpa and shook him back with a left hook, which he repeated to end the round.
But he neglected to go for a grandstand finish. Instead of going for a knockout, he left no room for error.
Jalolov was in no hurry. He let Ghadfa take his chances and punished the Spaniard with severe counterattacks, winning by unanimous decision.
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