Boxing at the 1928 Amsterdam Summer Games:

The previous year’s European champion did not compete in this division in Amsterdam, as Jacob Domgörgen of Germany, was not selected as the European featherweight champion Franz Dübbers had moved up a weight division. Dubbers was considered as one of the favourites, along with the American national champion Steve Halaiko and Sweden’s Gunnar Berggren, but was put out of the tournament by the unheralded Argentine Pascual Bonfiglio. The deaf-mute Italian Carlo Orlandi had the most impressive performance of the quarter-finals, dispatching Cecil Bissett of Rhodesia inside the first round and consolidated this effort by outpointing Nielsen of Denmark in the semi-final stage. The second semi-final saw Halaiko and Berggren enter the ring together. Halaiko was given the decision, which was unpopular with the Swedish fans and led to brief clashes between Swedes and Americans in the arena. The final was another close contest, the judges this time siding with the Italian over the American.

Both finalists went on to long pro careers; Orlandi had spells as national lightweight and welterweight champion and was also European champion at lightweight. A crushing defeat to the Puerto Rican Pedro Montanez in 1935 left him in hospital for three months and his career lost momentum after that, although he did record nearly 100 victories. New Yorker Halaiko also had over a century of professional bouts.