ROY JONES JR has finally received the Olympic gold medal he was controversially denied in 1988 through an extraordinary act of sportsmanship from the South Korean boxer who originally beat him.
The Hall of Fame boxer shared a video on Wednesday from two years ago showing Park Si-hun visiting his ranch in Florida to personally present him with the light middleweight gold medal.
Park stated through his translating son that he wanted to return the medal because it rightfully belonged to Jones.
Jones appeared emotionally overwhelmed by the gesture, covering his face with his hand before expressing his astonishment.
Their match at the Seoul Olympics remains one of boxing’s most contentious moments as Jones clearly dominated the fight but lost by a controversial 3-2 decision.
Despite losing the gold medal match, Jones was selected as the Val Barker Trophy winner for best boxer of the 1988 Olympics.
Jones went on to become a four-division world champion and is regarded as one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in boxing history.
The American boxer described the 1988 incident as being robbed of the gold medal in what became one of boxing’s biggest controversies.
He expressed gratitude that Park made the trip from South Korea to return the medal, believing it was the right thing to do.
Jones concluded by hoping others would appreciate this significant moment as much as he did. – Reuters
