Its 12 days to the first bell at Paris 2024 – and we continue our celebration of the Olympic centenary of Irish boxing, by revisiting Montreal 1976
Brendan Dunne has the distinction of being the first Irish light-flyweight to compete at the Olympic Games. AIBA introduced the light-flyweight class at the Mexico City Games in 1968, and Dunne, of the Phoenix BC in Dublin, wore the Irish 48kg vest in the lightest of the weight categories in Canada eight years later. The three-time Irish Elite champion, father of Irish champion and former European and WBA World title holder Bernard Dunne, made an impressive start in Montreal after stopping Asian Games silver medalist Noburu Uchiyama of Japan in round two at the Aréna Maurice Richard, an ice hockey revamped for boxing. But the Dubliner was then beaten by eventual bronze medalist, Orlando Maldonado of Puerto Rico, in the last-16 stage.
Belfast’s Davy Lamour, who, along with 1972 Olympian John Rogers, lined out for Ireland at the inaugural AIBA World Men’s Championships in Havana, Cuba in 1974 was drawn against Robert Masuka (Swaziland) and Augustin Martinez (Nicaragua) in Montreal. However, Lamour received walkovers, although Martinez wouldn’t have been allowed box anyway after it was discovered he was just 16-years-old, one year shy of the minimum age requirement. It’s probable that Martinez was barred because he was underage, while Swaziland, although not listed, appears to have been one of the numerous African nations who boycotted the Games because of New Zealand’s sporting (rugby) ties with South Africa which was banned from the Olympics because of apartheid. Either way, the Shankill flyweight, a gold medal winner for Northern Ireland at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand, got byes straight into the last-eight where he was lost on points by Leo Randolph of the USA, who went on to win gold.
Gerry Hamill, Christy McLoughlin and Brian Byrne also represented Ireland in Montreal, but all three went out at the first phase of the competition, Hamill losing out to the aptly named Ace Rusevski of Yugoslavia, who took home a bronze medal from the Games. Hamill, the 1978 Commonwealth champion, looking back on his defeat to Rusevski, had a few words of advice for young boxers – and the older ones as well. “In 1976, I made the mistake of not listening to Gerry Storey as he had told me exactly how to handle Rusevski. I was fighting the wrong fight and not keeping him at the end of my left hand and at distance and that was to cost me in the end. The most important thing I tell my lads today is to listen to your corner and I know that all too well.”
The USA boxing team, which included the talents of Sugar Ray Leonard and brothers Leon and Michael Spinks, helped America to five gold, one silver and one bronze to finish on top of the medals table in Montreal. Leon Spinks would go on to beat Muhammad Ali for the WBC/WBA World heavyweight titles in Las Vegas in 1978. However, he was stripped of the WBC belt because he didn’t defend it against the mandatory challenger, Ken Norton, and Ali won the rematch (for the WBA title) between the 1960 and 1976 Olympic champions in New Orleans. Cuba finished second in the medals table at the 1976 Games.
Light-flyweight: Brendan Dunne (Phoenix)
Beat Noburu Uchiyama (Japan) TKO2
Lost to eventual bronze medalist Orlando Maldonado (Puerto Rico) TKO1
Flyweight: Davy Larmour (Albert Foundry)
Beat Robert Masuku (Swaziland) W/O
Beat Augustin Martinez (Nicaragua) W/O
Lost to eventual gold medalist Leo Randolph (USA) 1-4
Lightweight: Gerry Hamill (Holy Family)
Lost to eventual bronze medalist Ace Rusevski (Yugoslavia) 1-4
Welterweight: Christy McLoughlin (British Rail)
Lost to Colin Jones (Great Britain) 0-5
Light-middleweight: Brian Byrne (Transport)
Lost to Wilfredo Guzman (Puerto Rico) 2-3
Check out the highlights of the Games here:
There was a desire by the IOC’s program commission to reduce the number of competitors and a number of recommendations were put to the IOC’s executive board on February 23, 1973, which were all accepted. Rowing was the only sport where the number of competitors was increased, and women were admitted for the first time in Olympic history. The 1976 Summer Olympic program featured 196 events with 198 medal ceremonies in 21 sports
The African Boycott
The 1976 Montreal Games were impacted by an African boycott involving 22 countries. The boycott was organised by Tanzania to protest the fact that the New Zealand rugby team had toured Apartheid South Africa and that New Zealand was scheduled to compete in the Olympic Games.
Debuts and Firsts
Women’s events in basketball, rowing and team handball all made their Olympic debut. Hockey was played on an artificial pitch for the first time.
Memorable Champions
Alberto Juantorena of Cuba completed the first 400m and 800m double victory. The Japanese women’s volleyball team proved untouchable, winning all their matches in straight sets, and Miklos Németh of Hungary won the javelin to become the first son of an athletics gold medalist to win a gold of his own.
Perfect Nadia
Fourteen-year-old gymnast Nadia Comaneci of Romania was the undoubted star of the Games. She shot to fame when, for her performance on the uneven bars, she was awarded the first-ever perfect score of 10.0. She went on to earn seven maximum marks in total.