Fernando Atzori: Sardinian Boxer’s Olympic Glory
Fernando Atzori (1942–2020), from Ales in Sardinia, won the men’s flyweight gold medal for Italy at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He defeated Poland’s Artur Olech 4–1 in the final despite a cut above one eye. The Italian Olympic Committee records his Tokyo gold; Olympedia documents the final and the rest of the tournament.
From Olympic champion to European titleholder
Atzori turned professional after his amateur career. In 1967 he won the European flyweight title by defeating René Libeer and made nine successful defenses. Fritz Chervet took the title from him in 1972. Atzori regained it against Dominique Cesari in 1973, then lost it to Chervet later that year.
He retired in 1975 with a professional record of 44 wins, 6 losses and 2 draws, according to Olympedia. The Italian Olympic Committee also notes his two military world titles and 1963 Mediterranean Games gold medal. He died in Florence on November 9, 2020, aged 78.
Sources
- Italian Olympic Committee: Fernando Atzori athlete profile
- Italian Olympic Committee: Atzori obituary (2020)
- Olympedia: Fernando Atzori biography and career
- Olympedia: 1964 Olympic men’s flyweight results
Career records and reporting: olympedia.org.
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
