Ancient Champions: Philon, Kleomedes, and Diognetos

Philon of Korkyra

2-time Olympic boxing champion in 500 and 496 BC Olympia. A statue was built in tribute to Philon with the inscription composed by Simonides: “My fatherland is Korkyra and my name is Philon. I am the son of Glaukos, and I won two Olympia victories for boxing.”

I'm fairly certain Glaukos and Philon are the first father-son champion duo, and Tisios is the first trainer to train two champions making the Glaukos family the first boxing dynasty both in terms of crown lineage and training lineage. Glaukos claimed to be descended from the marine god Glaucus.

Kleomedes of Astypalaia

Kleomedes killed Ikkos of modern Epidaurus during the 492 BC Olympia by stabbing him in the heart with his fingers in an open-hand jab to the heart a bit like that character in indiana jones and the temple of doom, that kali ma guy.

This content is protected

The Hellanodikai disqualified Kleomedes for foul play because he used an open hand strike and Ikkos, in death, was declared the victor and champion.

Kleomedes was overwhelmingly distraught with not being awarded his prize. He returned to Astypalaia and enraged over his Olympia failure pulled down a pillar with his great strength that held the roof of a school. Sixty children were crushed and smothered to death. Local citizenry were understandably outraged and began pelting the boxer with stones.

The champion fled for safety until placing himself inside a heavy chest. The Astypalaian’s were initially unsuccessful with their attempts to open the chest and slay Kleomedes. Finally, they pried the chest open only to find the boxer was not there. The locals then sent envoys for advice from the Priestess of Delphi who told them, “Last of heroes is Kleomedes of Astypalaia. Honor him with sacrifices as being no longer a mortal.” The Astypalaians thought the missing Kleomedes was dead, but without body as proof the citizens of Astypalaia did as told and began to worship him as a hero.


Diognetos of Crete

Victor of the boxing crown at Olympia in 488 BC.

Diognetos did not receive the crown and was even attacked by the Eleans because the adversary whom he had defeated and killed was called Herakles. As in Kleomedes' case it's not so much that Diognetos killed a person as much as the circumstances around the death, in this case being named after the most popular son of Zeus.

Dishonored by the Hellanodikai and hated by the Eleans, still, Diognetos was worshiped as a hero by the Cretans.

It's pretty crazy that the ancient Hellanodikai withheld honors from Diognetos solely because he killed a man named after a god, but what's even crazier is the modern Olympic Comittee didn't officially recognized Diognetos as an Olympic champion until 2014.

The negativity boxing gained with Kleomedes killing Ikkos and Diognetos killing Herakles set the stage for one of ancient boxing's biggest stars to emerge. The ancient world was hungry for a champion that embodied their idealism, and by 484 BC they would have it.

Link Heavyweight Champions from Antiquity to Contemporary.

Thanks for reading bud.