Medals were awarded in eleven events, with each event corresponding to a recognized weight division of male boxers. The 2008 games were the last Olympic boxing competition to exclude women, as the International Olympic Committee approved the introduction of female boxing events for the 2012 London Olympics.
Like other Olympic combat sports, two bronze medals are awarded; in the case of boxing, both losing semi-finalists receive a bronze medal, with no further play-off. As a result, the quarter-final essentially equates to a bronze medal match, a semi-final to a silver medal match, and the final to a gold medal match. 44 medals are therefore available, 22 of which are bronze medals.
A National Olympic Committee (NOC) may enter up to 1 athlete in each event. Nine places will be reserved for the host nation, from which it will choose 6 places maximum, while the remaining places will be allocated to the Tripartite Invitation Commission. For each athlete from the host NOC who qualifies through the AIBAWorld Amateur Boxing Championships, the host nation will lose a guaranteed place.
