Roy Jones Jr. and the Gold Medal That Wasn’t: 36 Years Later, Closure at Last

Fallout and Reform

The aftermath was equally stunning. Judges Bob Kasule (Uganda), Alberto Durán (Uruguay), and Hiouad Larbi (Morocco) were suspended, with two later banned for life. Larbi even admitted years later that Jones had clearly won but he had voted for Park to avoid embarrassing the host nation assuming the other judges would correct it.

The scandal forced Olympic boxing to overhaul its scoring, introducing a computerized points system designed to limit corruption and bias. While Jones went on to become a four-division professional champion, pound-for-pound king, and Hall of Famer, Park’s life took a darker turn. Shunned in South Korea and haunted by depression, he retired quietly and became a high-school P.E. teacher.

The Emotional Reunion

For decades, the injustice lingered. Jones was celebrated as perhaps the greatest fighter never to win Olympic gold, while Park carried the burden of a medal many felt was undeserved.

Then, in May 2023, an extraordinary scene unfolded. In a surprise meeting at Jones’ gym, Park  now 58  presented Jones with the medal he had held for more than three decades. “I had the gold medal, but I wanted to give it back to you,” Park told him through a translator. “It belongs to you. … This gold medal is your problem now.”

Jones, moved to tears, embraced Park. It was a symbolic gesture that could not restore the moment stolen in 1988, but it provided long-awaited closure.

Legacy of a Controversy

The Jones-Park decision remains a defining case study in how corruption and nationalism can taint sport. But its legacy extends beyond scandal it brought about reform, shaped the careers of two men in starkly different ways, and decades later, offered a rare moment of reconciliation.

Jones can now display an Olympic gold medal not one awarded in the ring, but one handed back in friendship, honesty, and redemption.