Boxing at the 1960 Roma Summer Games:

To non-Italians the heavyweight class in 1960 was rather nondescript, as no future greats made an appearance. But the Italians loved it as their fighter, Franco De Piccoli, won the gold medal. In the final, De Piccoli faced South African Daan Bekker, a 1956 Olympic bronze medalist who had won gold at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. But the match was over quickly, as De Piccoli knocked out Bekker early in the first round. Both De Piccoli and Bekker had short, but non-distinguished professional careers. De Piccoli fought through 1965 with a career record of 37 wins and 4 losses, but never fought for a major title. Bekker fought through 1963, although he returned for one bout in 1968, which he won, finishing with a record of 7 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw.