Identity Card
| Born |
25 March 1926 |
| Deceased |
16 October 2003 |
| NOC |
Hungary |
| Sport |
Boxing |
After winning the Olympic middleweight title in 1948, Hungary's László Papp won the light-middleweight crown in 1952 and 1956 to become the first boxer to win three Olympic gold medals. He also won European amateur titles in 1949 and 1951.
More About The Athlete
First soviet professional
Possibly his finest victory in the Olympic ring came in the 1956 final when he beat José Torres (USA), a future world professional champion. A skilful, hard-punching southpaw, Papp was the first fighter from the Soviet bloc allowed to turn professional and he won the European middleweight title in 1962. However, in 1965, the Hungarian authorities withdrew their permission for him to fight professionally and the chance of a world title bout was denied him. Papp later served as the coach of the Hungarian national boxing team from 1971-92.
Participation at the Olympic Games and medals
More about medals