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10: Top Olympic fighters of all time

Fighters Network
30
Jul

9. Ariel Hernandez – Cuban middleweight (1992-1996)

A lanky 6-foot southpaw, Hernandez produced a brilliant blend of boxing science, deft in-and-out movement and hammering overhand lefts. He was a big part of the legendary Cuban teams that captured seven golds and two silvers in Barcelona and seven medals (four gold, three silver) in Atlanta, for he successfully sliced and diced his way through 10 straight opponents en route to two golds at middleweight.

Hernandez was one who quickly adjusted his game to the then-new computerized scoring system by keeping his distance, staying in the middle of the ring and landing long, easily seen blows that had enough power to jolt heads but not scramble them. That’s why there were no knockouts in his 10-0 Olympic record.

He’s on this list because of his statistical dominance over good opposition. In 1992 Hernandez won by an average 8.6-point margin, defeating two men who would later be long-term professional titlists. In the quarterfinals Hernandez upended Germany’s Sven Ottke 14-6 and in the gold medal match against America’s Chris Byrd he used a third-round surge to turn a 4-4 match after two rounds into a 12-7 victory.



In Atlanta, Hernandez beat his opponents by 7.6 points per match and his road to gold was more difficult – if one judges his opposition by their subsequent pro success. In the first round he dominated Egypt’s Kabary Salem 11-2 and in round two he again defeated Ottke, this time by 5-0 shutout. He then swept to gold by beating Russia’s Alexander Lebziak (15-8), America’s Rhoshii Wells (17-8) and Turkey’s Malik Beyleroglu (11-3) in the final.

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