Ramón Duvalón: Cuba’s Olympic Boxing Silver Medalist
Cuban boxer Ramón Duvalón won silver in the men’s flyweight division at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games. He advanced to the final, where he faced American Leo Randolph.
Ramón Duvalón’s Montreal campaign
Duvalón’s full name is Ramón Duvalón Carrión. Born on 31 August 1954, he was 21 during the Montreal Games. He represented Cuba in the 51 kg category, with the flyweight competition taking place at Aréna Maurice-Richard from 18 to 31 July.
He entered the tournament after defeating Douglas Rodríguez in Cuba’s selection trials. Rodríguez had won the 1974 World Championships, so Duvalón’s selection placed him ahead of an accomplished domestic rival before the Olympic competition began.
Duvalón progressed through the draw with victories over Japan’s Toshinori Koga and Canada’s Ian Clyde. In the semi-final, he advanced against Soviet boxer David Torosyan after Torosyan was disqualified. That result secured his place in the gold-medal contest.
The final against Leo Randolph
Randolph won the final on a close 3–2 decision, taking gold while Duvalón received silver. The American was 18 years old and became the first of five United States boxing gold medalists at those Games. Torosyan and Poland’s Leszek Błażyński finished with bronze.
The embedded video features the Olympic final itself. Duvalón’s silver remains his recorded Olympic medal, with Montreal listed as his Games appearance. His route through the field and the narrow final decision give the result a clearer context than a medal total alone.
Sources
Sources: Athlete biography; Montreal flyweight results.
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
