Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Bantamweight

The bantamweight competition was one of the events in amateur boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics, held at the Workers Indoor Arena. Boxers in this class could weigh up to 54 kilograms.

All Olympic boxing events, including bantamweight, used a single-elimination format. This means that boxers could only lose once before being out of the competition. The unique rule for these events was that both boxers who lost in the semifinals received bronze medals, so they didn’t compete again after their first loss.

Each bout had four rounds, with each round lasting two minutes and a one-minute break in between. For a punch to count, the white part of the glove had to hit the front of the opponent’s head or body. Five judges watched each bout, and a punch was scored only if at least three judges signaled it within one second. The boxer with the most valid punches at the end of the bout won.