Pensacola boxer Roy Jones Jr. now has the gold medal that eluded him after a controversial loss during the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul following an honorable act of sportsmanship by his opponent.
In a video posted on Jones' YouTube page Wednesday, he revealed retired South Korean fighter Park Si-hun, who was awarded the gold in the light-middleweight division, traveled to Pensacola to give Jones the medal.
Park and his family made a surprise visit to the gym at Jones' ranch in May 2023.
"So good to see you, my brother," Jones exclaims in the video as he greets Park with a hug and extended handshake.
"I had the gold medal, but I wanted to give it back to you. It belongs to you," Park said through his son, who translated. Jones teared up over the gesture.
During the bout, Jones landed more punches and was widely thought to be leading on the judges' scorecards, yet Park was awarded a 3-2 decision. The South Korean reportedly apologized to Jones right after the result was announced and acknowledged Jones as the rightful victor.
For Jones, Park's gifting of the medal corrected a decades-long injustice that had cast a shadow on both lives.
In his post on Instagram, Jones wrote: "In 1988, I was robbed of the gold medal in what became one of the biggest controversies in boxing history. By the grace of God, a couple of years ago, the man who won that medal made the trip from South Korea to my home to return it to me, feeling it was rightfully mine."
In interviews since the Olympics, Park has said the criticism he received led to severe depression and multiple suicide attempts.
After the controversial match, Park retired from boxing but later became a coach for the South Korean team.
Despite being given the silver medal, Jones was awarded the Val Barker Trophy for "most outstanding" boxer at the 1988 Games, and he went on to have a Hall of Fame professional career.
Regarded as the best "pound for pound" boxer in the world, Jones went 66-9 as a pro and won titles in four weight classes.
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