Leo Randolph: Inspiring Journey of Olympic Glory
Leo Randolph, a flyweight from Tacoma, won Olympic gold for the United States at the 1976 Montreal Games. Four years later he became a world champion as a professional, taking the WBA junior featherweight title before retiring with a 17–2 record.
Montreal Olympic champion
Randolph developed as a boxer at Tacoma’s Boys Club under coach Joe Clough. At the 1976 Olympics, he won the flyweight final against Cuba’s Ramón Duvalón by a 3–2 decision. The U.S. team advanced Randolph past his opening bout after Togo withdrew its boxers, so he did not defeat a Togo opponent.
WBA junior featherweight title
Randolph turned professional in 1978. On May 4, 1980, he stopped Ricardo Cardona in the 15th round to win the WBA junior featherweight title. His reign lasted until August 9, when Sergio Victor Palma stopped him in the fifth round. Randolph retired later in 1980 with 17 wins and 2 losses.
After boxing, Randolph worked as a bus driver for Pierce Transit in the Tacoma area. He was inducted into the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
Sources
- USA Boxing: Olympic teams and medalists
- Olympedia: 1976 Olympic flyweight results
- World Boxing Association: Leo Randolph profile
- Olympedia: Leo Randolph biography
Career records and reporting: boxrec.com.
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
