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Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence (29 March 1952 – 11 June 2012) was a Cuban
amateur boxer Amateur boxing is a variant of boxing practiced at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games, as well as many associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration, comprising three rounds of three ...
who competed from 1966 to 1986. He won the Val Barker Trophy (1972) and was honored with the Olympic Order (1987). Stevenson is one of only three boxers to win three Olympic gold medals, alongside Hungarian
László Papp László Papp (25 March 1926 – 16 October 2003) was a Hungarian professional boxer from Budapest. He was left-handed and won gold medals in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, and the 1956 Summer Olym ...
and fellow Cuban
Félix Savón Félix Savón Fabre (born 22 September 1967) is a retired Cuban amateur boxer, who competed from 1980 to 2000. Considered one of the all-time greatest amateur boxers, he became three-time Olympic gold medalist, and the World Champion six times ...
.


Early years

Stevenson was born in
Puerto Padre Puerto Padre () is a municipality and town in the Las Tunas Province of Cuba. It is located on the northern coastal region of the province, in an estuary (''Estero El Españolito'') that opens into the Puerto Padre Bay. History Known popularly as ...
, Cuba. His father, Teófilo Stevenson Patterson, was an immigrant from Saint Vincent. His mother Dolores Lawrence was a native Cuban, but her parents were immigrants from the
Anglophone Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...
island of
Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...
. Teófilo senior arrived in Cuba in 1923, finding work wherever he could, before settling in Camagüey with Dolores, where he gave English lessons to top up his meagre earnings. Due to his large size, Teófilo senior was encouraged into boxing by local trainers, fighting seven times before becoming disillusioned by the corrupt payment structure on offer to young fighters.''In the Red Corner''. John Duncan. pp. 77–79. Teófilo junior was a shiftless but bright child who at nine years old soon found himself sparring at the makeshift open-air gym his father had frequented. Under the tutelage of former national light heavyweight champion John Herrera, Teófilo junior began his career fighting far more experienced boxers, but according to Herrera, "had what it took". Despite his growing involvement in the sport, Stevenson had yet to tell his mother about his activities. Eventually Teófilo Sr. broke the news to his wife, who was furious; but she agreed to acquiesce on the provision that the boy was accompanied by his father.


Boxing career


Beginnings

The young Stevenson continued to improve under Herrera in the mid-1960s, winning a junior title and gaining additional training in Havana. His victories drew the attention of Andrei Chervonenko, a head coach in Cuba's newly implemented state sports system.
Professional sports In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought l ...
throughout the island had been outlawed since 1962 by government resolution 83-A, and all boxing activity had come under the guidance of the government sponsored National Boxing Commission. Chervonenko, a retired boxer himself, sent by the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, who had created Cuba's ''Escuela de Boxeo'' (Boxing school) in a derelict old gym in Havana, began to champion Stevenson's progress. Stevenson's senior boxing career began at age seventeen with a defeat in the national championships against the experienced heavyweight Gabriel Garcia. Despite the setback, Stevenson went on to register convincing victories over Nancio Carrillo and Juan Perez, two of Cuba's finest boxers in the weight division, securing a place in the national team for the 1970 Central American and Caribbean Boxing Championships. Defeat in the final after three victories was considered no shame, and Stevenson firmly established himself as Cuba's premier heavyweight. Back in the gym Chervonenko and leading Cuban boxing coach Alcides Sagarra worked on Stevenson's jab, which became his ultimate weapon, and paid dividends when the Cuban easily defeated East Germany's Bernd Anders in front of a surprised Berlin crowd. The victory made the entire amateur boxing world take notice of Stevenson as a serious heavyweight contender.


Munich Olympics 1972

Stevenson, now twenty, joined the Cuban boxing team for the Munich Olympics of 1972. Munich 1972 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Munich that took place August 26–September 11, 1972. His opening bout against experienced Polish fighter Ludwik Denderys began dramatically when Stevenson knocked the other man down within thirty seconds of the opening bell. The fight was stopped moments later due to a large cut next to the Pole's eye. Proceeding to the quarter finals, Stevenson met American boxer
Duane Bobick Duane Bobick (born August 24, 1950) is a retired boxer from the United States. As an amateur he won the gold medal at the 1971 Pan American Games and fought at the 1972 Olympics. He then turned professional in 1973 and retired in 1979 with a rec ...
. Bobick, a gold medalist at the
1971 Pan American Games * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
, had beaten Stevenson previously. After a close first round, Stevenson lost the second, but a ferocious display in the third round knocked Bobick to the canvas three times and the contest was stopped. The victory was viewed on television throughout Cuba, and is still considered Stevenson's most memorable performance. Stevenson easily defeated German Peter Hussing in the semifinal by TKO in the second round, and received his gold medal after Romanian Ion Alexe failed to appear in the final due to injury. The Cuban boxing team won three gold medals, their first in Olympic boxing history, as well as one silver and one bronze. The Munich games established Cuba's dominance over the amateur sport that was to last decades. It also established Stevenson as the world's premier amateur heavyweight boxer. Less than two years after his successful performance at the Munich Olympics, Stevenson, then 22-years-old, was rewarded with a house for himself in Havana and another for himself and his family in Delicias. Stevenson later recalled: "I had no idea the house in Delicias was going to be so big. When I was shown the plans, I said, 'What is this? A bunker?’" AIBA President
Anwar Chowdhry Anwar Khurshid Chowdhry (26 October 1923 – 19 June 2010) was a Pakistani sports official who was President of the International Boxing Association (amateur), International Boxing Association from 1986 to 2006. His career spanned almost three ...
, when asked did the Cuban authorities acted properly in giving Stevenson two houses and two cars, said: "These things should not be allowed. If gifts are to be given it should be for everybody—not for a few." Over tea in his office in Havana's
Sports City Coliseum Coliseo de la Ciudad Deportiva is an indoor sporting arena located in Havana, Cuba. Built in 1957, the Coliseum is one of the most important works of Cuban Civil Engineering. It is located at the intersection of Boyeros and Vía Blanca avenues in ...
, INDER President Conrado Martínez Corona defended the local practice of giving cars and apartments to top athletes. "Our country has the obligation of solving the problems of all citizens—the problems of their nourishment, housing, education and health," he said. "It's a pity we can't solve this problem in the way we need to for everybody."


Prime years

Stevenson did the same at the inaugural 1974 World Championships in Havana, Cuba, and then in the
1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 P ...
, held in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
, Stevenson repeated the feat once again. By then, he had become a national hero in Cuba. This was the point where he was the closest to signing a professional contract, as American fight promoters offered him US$5 million to challenge world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. If he had accepted, it would have made Stevenson the second boxer to go straight from the Olympics into a professional debut with the world's Heavyweight crown on the line, after Pete Rademacher. Stevenson refused the offer, however, asking "What is one million dollars compared to the love of eight million Cubans?" Stevenson went to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and became the second boxer ever, after Papp, to win three Olympic boxing gold medals. The Moscow Games were the 19th occurrence of the modern Olympic Games. Stevenson participated at the
1982 World Amateur Boxing Championships The Men's 1982 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Munich, West Germany from May 4 to 15. The third edition of this competition, held two years before the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, was organised by the world governi ...
in Munich, but lost to the eventual silver medalist and future professional world champion
Francesco Damiani Francesco Damiani (born 4 October 1958) is an Italian former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 1993. He was the first WBO heavyweight champion, having held the title from 1989 to 1991, as well as the European heavyweight title from 19 ...
from Italy. This fight ended an eleven-year unbeaten run by Stevenson and was the only occasion that he did not win the gold medal at the World Championships when he entered the competition. His loss by a split decision to Aleksandr Lukstin of the Soviet Union in the finals of the 1983 Córdova Cardín, as the Soviet head coach Kontsantin Koptsev later admitted, was due to a plaster-like tape they handwrapped Lukstin's fists instead of a regular elastic-band hand wrapping. Stevenson might have won a fourth gold medal at the
1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...
, but the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
boycotted the games, which were hosted by Los Angeles, in retaliation for the American boycott of the 1980 Moscow competition. Cuba followed the Soviet lead, and Stevenson did not compete. For consolation, he beat future Olympic champion Tyrell Biggs in February 1984 (breaking three ribs in a process) and won the super heavyweight gold at the 1984 Friendship Games, defeating Ulli Kaden of
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
and, in the final, Valeriy Abadzhyan of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. At the 1986 World Amateur Boxing Championships, he won the super heavyweight gold, defeating Alex Garcia from the United States in the final. Stevenson retired from boxing shortly after the 1988 Summer Olympics, which Cuba also boycotted.


Rivalry with Vysotsky

Teófilo Stevenson was known for two fights with Soviet boxer Igor Vysotsky, who defeated Stevenson twice. Vysotsky later revealed in his interview to ''East Side Boxing'': Vysotsky was the only boxer out of hundreds of Stevenson's opponents to ever stop him, let alone by knockout, and to defeat him twice, both times in his prime, without being avenged. And on top of it, Vysotsky scored his first victory over Stevenson at the Córdova Cardín, Cubans' home tournament, where they do their best to never let any foreigner get into the finals. Stevenson's second loss to Vysotsky happened six weeks before his knockout winning streak at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, which ended up with a victories over John Tate and Mircea Șimon. After losing to Vysotsky for a second time he said, "Nobody is invincible."


Highlights

Local match-up (71 kg), Las Tunas, Cuba, October 1966 (debut): *Lost to Luis Henríquez (Cuba) by decision National Youth Championships (+81 kg), Camagüey, Cuba, 1968 *(no data available) VI Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Guantánamo, Cuba, November 1968: *1/4: Lost to Adolfo Gálvez (Cuba) by decision VII Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Nueva Gerona,
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, December 1969: *1/2: Defeated Iván Rodríguez (Cuba) *Finals: Lost to Gabriel García (Cuba) by decision Local match-up (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, 1970: *Defeated Nancio Carrillo (Cuba) KO *Defeated Juan Pérez (Cuba) I Central America and the Caribbean Championships (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, September 1970: *1/2: Defeated Visley Zulueta (Colombia) KO 1 *Finals: Defeated Earl McClear (Bermuda) by decision III Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, October 1970: *1/4: Defeated Gabriel García (Cuba) RSC 3 *1/2: Defeated Adolfo Gálvez (Cuba) by decision *Finals: Lost to Bernd Anders (East Germany) by decision VI Friendship Youth Tournament (+81 kg),
Vidin Vidin ( bg, Видин, ; Old Romanian: Diiu) is a port city on the southern bank of the Danube in north-western Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Romania and Serbia, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as ...
,
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
, October 1970: *1/4: Defeated Eckhard Findeisen (East Germany) RSC 1 *1/2: Defeated Dumitru Zelinta (Romania) RSC 2 *Finals: Defeated Vladimir Saprykin (Soviet Union) RSC 1 Cuba–Czechoslovakia Duals (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, March 1971: *Lost to Peter Sommer (Czechoslovakia) by decision Czechoslovakia–Cuba Duals (+81 kg),
Prague, Czechoslovakia Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate oc ...
, March 1971: *Lost to Peter Sommer (Czechoslovakia) by decision Yugoslavia–Cuba Duals (+81 kg),
Titograd Podgorica (Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; lit. 'under the hill') is the capital and largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd (Cyrillic: Титоград, ) between 1946 and 1992—in the period that Montenegro forme ...
,
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, April 1971: *Defeated Iordan Obradović (Yugoslavia) DQ 3 Austria–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Vienna, Austria, May 1971: *Defeated Erwin Suppik (Austria) KO 2 IV Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, June 1971: *1/2: Defeated Adolfo Gálvez (Cuba) RET *Finals: Defeated José Luis Cabrera (Cuba) by decision Panama–Cuba Duals (+81 kg),
Panama City, Panama Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is loca ...
, June 1971: *Defeated Rolando Tey (Panama) RET Cuba–Bulgaria Duals (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, July 1971: *Defeated Borislav Krastev (Bulgaria) DQ 2 Pan American Games (+81 kg),
Cali, Colombia Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...
, August 1971: *1/4: Defeated Pablo Sarmiento (Argentina) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/2: Lost to
Duane Bobick Duane Bobick (born August 24, 1950) is a retired boxer from the United States. As an amateur he won the gold medal at the 1971 Pan American Games and fought at the 1972 Olympics. He then turned professional in 1973 and retired in 1979 with a rec ...
(United States) by unanimous decision, 0–5 Local match-up (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, September 1971: *Defeated Adolfo Gálvez (Cuba) RSC III TSC Tournament (+81 kg), Berlin, East Germany, October 1971: *1/4: Defeated Jerzy Skoczek (Poland) KO 3 *1/2: Defeated Bernd Anders (East Germany) RSC 3 *Finals: Defeated Josef Motýl (Czechoslovakia) RSC 1 Cuba–USSR Duals (+81 kg), Berlin, East Germany, October 1971: *Lost to
Yuri Nesterov Yuri Igorevich Nesterov (russian: Юрий Игоревич Нестеров, born March 24, 1967 in Leningrad) is a former Soviet/ Russian handball player who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), offici ...
(Soviet Union) by decision IX Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Nueva Gerona,
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, October–November 1971 (no medal awarded): *1/4: Defeated Francisco Molina (Cuba) KO *1/2: Defeated Adolfo Gálvez (Cuba) by decision *Finals: Defeated Luis Valier (Cuba) RSC II Central America and the Caribbean Championships (+81 kg), San Juan, Puerto Rico, November 1971: *Finals: Defeated Georgie Clemente (Puerto Rico) by walkover VII Friendship Youth Tournament (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, December 1971: *1/2: Defeated Borimir Kristiev (Bulgaria) RSC *Finals: Defeated Vladimir Volkov (Soviet Union) by decision Cuba–USSR Duals (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, January 1972: *Defeated Vladimir Volkov (Soviet Union) X Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, February–March 1972: *1/2: Defeated Francisco Molina (Cuba) KO *Finals: Defeated Luis Valier (Cuba) KO 1 Cuba–Romania Duals (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, April 1972: *Defeated Ion Alexe (Romania) by decision Czechoslovakia–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Ústí nad Labem,
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
, April 1972: *Defeated Josef Motýl (Czechoslovakia) KO 2 GDR–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Berlin, East Germany, 1972: *Defeated Bernd Anders (East Germany) KO 2 III Chemistry Cup (+81 kg), Halle, East Germany, May 1972: *1/4: Defeated Dieter Limant (East Germany) RSC 1 *1/2: Defeated Eberhard Findeisen (East Germany) RSC 1 *Finals: Defeated
Jürgen Fanghänel Jürgen Fanghänel (born 1 August 1951) is a retired East German amateur boxer, who competed in 1970s and 1980s. Career Fanghänel won the bronze medal in the men's heavyweight division (91 kg) at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The ...
(East Germany) Local match-up (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, May 1972: *Defeated Nancio Carrillo (Cuba) KO V Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, July 1972: *Finals: Defeated Nancio Carrillo (Cuba) by decision XX Summer Olympics (+81 kg), Munich, West Germany, September 1972: *1/16: Defeated Ludwik Denderys (Poland) KO 1 *1/4: Defeated
Duane Bobick Duane Bobick (born August 24, 1950) is a retired boxer from the United States. As an amateur he won the gold medal at the 1971 Pan American Games and fought at the 1972 Olympics. He then turned professional in 1973 and retired in 1979 with a rec ...
(United States) RSC 3 *1/2: Defeated Peter Hussing (West Germany) RSC 2 *Finals: Defeated Ion Alexe (Romania) by walkover III Central America and the Caribbean Championships (+81 kg), San José, Costa Rica, November 1972: *1/2: Defeated Jack Powell (Jamaica) RET 1 *Finals: Defeated Rafael Vega (Costa Rica) RSC 1 XI Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, February 1973: *Finals: Defeated Nancio Carrillo (Cuba) Golden Belt Tournament (+81 kg),
Bucharest, Romania Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, April 1973: *1/4: Defeated Hennie Thoonen (Netherlands) RET 2 *1/2: Defeated Ion Sanatescu (Romania) by decision *Finals: Defeated Ion Alexe (Romania) RET 2 VI Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, July 1973: *1/4: Defeated Nancio Carrillo (Cuba) RET *1/2: Defeated Peter Sommer (Czechoslovakia) KO 1 *Finals: Lost to Igor Vysotsky (Soviet Union) by split decision, 2–3 IV Central America and the Caribbean Championships (+81 kg), Mexico City, Mexico, November 1973: *1/4: Defeated Jimmy Russell (Jamaica) by walkover *1/2: Defeated Carlos Rivera (Venezuela) RSC 1 *Finals: Defeated Ismael Ruiz (Mexico) KO 1 XII Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, January 1974: *1/8: Defeated Roberto Taylor (Cuba) by decision *1/4: Defeated Nancio Carrillo (Cuba) by decision *1/2: Defeated Jesús Benítez (Cuba) RET *Finals: Defeated José Luis Cabrera (Cuba) RET
1974 Central American and Caribbean Games The 12th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from February 27 to March 13, 1974, and included 1,928 athletes from 23 nations competing in 18 sports. Sports * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Referenc ...
(+81 kg), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, March 1974: *1/2: Defeated Rafael Vega (Costa Rica) KO 1 *Finals: Defeated Carlos Rivera (Venezuela) RET 1 Golden Belt Tournament (+81 kg),
Bucharest, Romania Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, May 1974: *1/4: Defeated Marian Alexandru (Romania) RET 3 *1/2: Defeated Ion Anghel (Romania) KO 2 *Finals: Defeated Yevgeni Gorstkov (Soviet Union) by walkover VII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Camagüey, Cuba, July 1974: *1/4: Defeated Elpidio Valier (Cuba) RSC *1/2: Defeated Roberto Taylor (Cuba) RSC *Finals: Defeated Pyotr Zayev (Soviet Union) RSC
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
(+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, August 1974: *1/8: Defeated Tshibangu Hweia (Zaire) by walkover *1/4: Defeated Peter Hussing (West Germany) KO 1 *1/2: Defeated Fatai Avinia (Nigeria) by decision *Finals: Defeated Marvin Stinson (United States) by unanimous decision, 5–0 V Central America and the Caribbean Championships (+81 kg),
Caracas, Venezuela Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
, December 1974: *1/2: Defeated Rafael Vega (Costa Rica) by decision *Finals: Defeated Carlos Rivera (Venezuela) by decision XIII Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, January 1975: *1/8: Defeated Germán Duvergel (Cuba) by walkover *1/4: Defeated José Luis Cabrera (Cuba) by decision *1/2: Lost to Adolfo Gálvez (Cuba) by walkover INDER Anniversary Festival (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, February 1975: *Defeated Ángel Milián Rivero (Cuba) by unanimous decision, 5–0 XV Honvéd Cup (+81 kg), Budapest, Hungary, March 1975: *1/4: Defeated István Edocs (Hungary) by decision *1/2: Defeated Igor Kykotoorov ? (Soviet Union) by walkover *Finals: Defeated Gennady Kokurin (Soviet Union) RSC 1 Golden Belt Tournament (+81 kg),
Bucharest, Romania Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, April 1975: *1/4: Defeated Claudio Liendo (Venezuela) by walkover *1/2: Defeated Ilie Dascălu (Romania) RET 1 *Finals: Defeated Mircea Șimon (Romania) by walkover VIII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Las Villas, Cuba, July 1975: *1/2: Defeated Ricardo Casañas (Cuba) RSC 2 *Finals: Defeated Dietmar Meyer (East Germany) RET 2 Pan American Games (+81 kg), Mexico City, Mexico, October 1975: *1/8: Defeated Gilberto Acuña (Costa Rica) RSC 1 *1/4: Defeated Clarence Hill (Bermuda) by walkover *1/2: Defeated Jair De Campos (Brazil) RSC 1 *Finals: Defeated
Michael Dokes Michael Marshall Dokes (August 10, 1958 – August 11, 2012) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 1997, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1982 to 1983. As an amateur he won a silver medal in the heavyweight division ...
(United States) by unanimous decision, 5–0 Local match-up (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, December 1975: *Defeated David Villa (Cuba) RSC XIV Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Camagüey, Cuba, January 1976: *1/8: Defeated Ramón Lores (Cuba) RSC *1/4: Defeated José Luis Cabrera (Cuba) by walkover *1/2: Defeated Glemond Crawford (Cuba) RET *Finals: Defeated Julio Cañizares (Cuba) RSC Jamaica–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Kingston, Jamaica, February 1976: *Defeated ? by decision Usov Memorial Tournament (+81 kg),
Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
, Belarus SSR, April 1976: *1/4: Defeated Leonid Zadorozhny (Soviet Union) RSCI 1 *1/2: Defeated Nikolay Malykh (Soviet Union) RET 3 *Finals: Lost to Igor Vysotsky (Soviet Union) KO 3 IX Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Pinar del Río, Cuba, May 1976: *1/8: Defeated Fidel César (Cuba) KO 2 *1/4: Defeated José Ribalta (Cuba) RSC 1 *1/2: Defeated Roberto Taylor (Cuba) RSC 1 *Finals: Defeated Ángel Milián Rivero (Cuba) by unanimous decision, 5–0 XXI Summer Olympics (+81 kg), Maurice Richard Arena,
Montreal, Canada Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...
, July 1976: *1/16: Defeated Mamadou Drame (Senegal) KO 2 *1/4: Defeated Pekka Ruokola (Finland) RSC 1 *1/2: Defeated John Tate (United States) KO 1 *Finals: Defeated Mircea Șimon (Romania) RET 3 Local match-up (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, February 1977: *Defeated Luis Martínez (Cuba) KO Local match-up (+81 kg), Camagüey, Cuba, April 1977: *Defeated Roberto Taylor (Cuba) by decision Local match-up (+81 kg),
Matanzas, Cuba Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...
, April 1977: *Defeated Roberto Gómez (Cuba) by decision Local match-up (+81 kg), Bayamo, Cuba, April 1977: *Defeated Juan Pérez (Cuba) KO I Battle of Carabobo International Tournament (+81 kg),
Caracas, Venezuela Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
, June 1977: *Finals: Defeated Woody Clark (United States) KO 3 X Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg),
Matanzas, Cuba Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...
, July 1977: *1/8: Defeated Roberto Taylor (Cuba) RSC *1/4: Defeated Julio Quintero (Cuba) RSC *1/2: Defeated Fidel César (Cuba) by decision *Finals: Defeated Roberto Gómez (Cuba) RET 3 VIII Central America and the Caribbean Championships (+81 kg),
Panama City, Panama Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is loca ...
, August 1977: *1/4: Defeated José Ángel Castro (Venezuela) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/2: Defeated Mauricio Realajeno (El Salvador) KO 1 *Finals: Defeated Rafael Vega (Costa Rica) by walkover XVI Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Camagüey, Cuba, January 1978: *1/16: Defeated Roberto Taylor (Cuba) RSC 1 *1/8: Defeated Oscar Rodríguez (Cuba) RSC *1/4: Defeated Ramón Lores (Cuba) RSC *1/2: Defeated Noel Grenot (Cuba) RSC *Finals: Defeated Ángel Milián Rivero (Cuba) RSC 2 Cuba–USA Duals (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, February 1978: *Defeated Jimmy Clark (United States) by split decision, 2–1 XXIX Strandzha Cup (+81 kg), Sofia, Bulgaria, March 1978: *1/4: Defeated Hans Müller (East Germany) KO 1 *1/2: Defeated Georgi Lefterov (Bulgaria) by walkover *Finals: Defeated Georgi Stoimenov (Bulgaria) RSC 3 Golden Belt Tournament (+81 kg),
Bucharest, Romania Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, March 1978: *1/4: Defeated Gheorghe Axente (Romania) RET 1 *1/2: Defeated Petre Ungureanu (Romania) by walkover *Finals: Defeated Ion Cernat (Romania) RSC 1 XI Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Cienfuegos, Cuba, April 1978: *1/4: Defeated Ricardo Avilés (Cuba) RSC *1/2: Defeated Glemond Crawford (Cuba) RET 3 *Finals: Defeated Ángel Milián Rivero (Cuba) KO 2
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
(+81 kg), Belgrade, Yugoslavia, May 1978: *1/8: Defeated Adama Mensah (Ghana) KO 1 *1/4: Defeated
Tony Tubbs Tony Tubbs (born February 15, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2006, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1985 to 1986. Amateur career As an amateur, Tony Tubbs competed in 253 bouts, compiling a reco ...
(United States) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/2: Defeated Carlos Rivera (Venezuela) KO 2 *Finals: Defeated Dragomir Vujković (Yugoslavia) RET 1 National Team Championships (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, September 1978: *Defeated Fidel César (Cuba) by decision USA–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Madison Square Garden,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, October 1978: *Defeated Jimmy Clark (United States) RSC 1 XVII Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Guantánamo, Cuba, January 1979: *1/8: Defeated Ramón Lores (Cuba) RSC *1/4: Defeated Eliécer Silé (Cuba) RET *1/2: Defeated Rolando Herrera (Cuba) RSC *Finals: Held Ángel Milián Rivero (Cuba) to a draw Cuba–USA Duals (+81 kg), Coliseo de la Ciudad Deportiva, Havana, Cuba, February 1979: *Defeated Phillip Brown (United States) by unanimous decision, 3–0 VIII Chemistry Cup (+81 kg), Halle, East Germany, March 1979: *1/4: Defeated Lakhdar Kaddour (Algeria) RSC 1 *1/2: Defeated Werner Kohnert (East Germany) by split decision, 3–2 *Finals: Defeated
Jürgen Fanghänel Jürgen Fanghänel (born 1 August 1951) is a retired East German amateur boxer, who competed in 1970s and 1980s. Career Fanghänel won the bronze medal in the men's heavyweight division (91 kg) at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The ...
(East Germany) by split decision, 3–2 Golden Belt Tournament (+81 kg),
Bucharest, Romania Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, March 1979: *Finals: Defeated Peter Hussing (West Germany) by walkover XII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, May 1979: *1/8: Defeated Lázaro Figueras (Cuba) RSC *1/4: Defeated Marcos Díaz (Cuba) RSC *1/2: Defeated Božidar Cvetić (Yugoslavia) by walkover *Finals: Defeated Ángel Milián Rivero (Cuba) by majority decision, 4–1 VIII Pan American Games (+81 kg),
Roberto Clemente Coliseum Roberto Clemente Coliseum ( Spanish: ''Coliseo Roberto Clemente'') is a sports and concert arena located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was, for many years, Puerto Rico's largest indoor event facility, and remains one of the largest. General info ...
, San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 1979: *1/2: Defeated Rufus Hadley (United States) KO 1 *Finals: Defeated Narciso Maldonado (Puerto Rico) RSC 1 National Team Championships (+81 kg), Puerto Padre, Cuba, September 1979: *Defeated Roberto Taylor (Cuba) KO *Defeated Rafael Lugo (Cuba) RSC *Defeated Armando Lowí (Cuba) RSC XVIII Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Pinar del Río, Cuba, January 1980: *1/4: Defeated Luis Martínez (Cuba) RSC *1/2: Defeated Roberto Gómez (Cuba) KO *Finals: Held Ángel Milián Rivero (Cuba) to a draw USA–Cuba Duals (+81 kg),
Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles' Coliseum (which was called Charlott ...
,
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, February 1980: *Defeated Jimmy Clark (United States) by split decision, 2–1 XI Ústí nad Labem Grand Prix (+81 kg) Ústí nad Labem,
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
, April 1980: *1/2: Defeated Czesław Dawiec (Poland) RET 1 *Finals: Defeated Ulli Kaden (East Germany) RSC 2 XX Honvéd Cup (+81 kg), Budapest, Hungary, April 1980: *1/4: Defeated Nikolay Timkin (Soviet Union) KO 1 *1/2: Defeated Ferenc Somodi (Hungary) KO 2 *Finals: Defeated István Lévai (Hungary) KO 3 XIII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Holguín, Cuba, May–June 1980: *1/4: Defeated Rolando Herrera (Cuba) RSC *1/2: Defeated Lázaro Figueras (Cuba) by decision *Finals: Lost to Ángel Milián Rivero (Cuba) by walkover XXII Summer Olympics (+81 kg), Moscow, Soviet Union, July–August 1980: *1/16: Defeated Solomon Ataga (Nigeria) KO 1 *1/4: Defeated Grzegorz Skrzecz (Poland) KO 3 *1/2: Defeated István Lévai (Hungary) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *Finals: Defeated Pyotr Zayev (Soviet Union) by majority decision, 4–1 XIX Playa Girón National Championships (+91 kg),
Matanzas, Cuba Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...
, January–February 1981: *1/8: Defeated Hermes Córdova (Cuba) by walkover *1/4: Defeated Rolando Herrera (Cuba) RSC *1/2: Held Ángel Milián Rivero (Cuba) to a draw *Finals: Defeated Roberto Taylor (Cuba) by walkover Local match-up (+91 kg), San José, Cuba, June 1981: *Defeated Jorge Luis González (Cuba) by decision XX Playa Girón National Championships (+91 kg), Cienfuegos, Cuba, January 1982: *1/4: Defeated Luis Palmar (Cuba) KO *1/2: Defeated Fidel César (Cuba) KO *Finals: Held Ángel Milián Rivero (Cuba) to a draw XI Chemistry Cup (+91 kg), Halle, East Germany, March 1982: *1/2: Defeated Dietmar Mayer (East Germany) RSC 1 *Finals: Lost to Ulli Kaden (East Germany) DQ 1 XV Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+91 kg), Guantánamo, Cuba, May 1982: *1/8: Defeated Orlando Ruíz (Cuba) RSC *1/4: Defeated Aleksandr Oreshkin (Soviet Union) RET 2 *1/2: Defeated Horacio Navia Ruíz (Cuba) RET 2 *Finals: Defeated Sergey Kirilitsyn (Soviet Union) by unanimous decision, 5–0
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
(+91 kg), Munich, West Germany, May 1982: *1/4: Lost to
Francesco Damiani Francesco Damiani (born 4 October 1958) is an Italian former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 1993. He was the first WBO heavyweight champion, having held the title from 1989 to 1991, as well as the European heavyweight title from 19 ...
(Italy) by unanimous decision, 0–5 XIV Central American and Caribbean Games (+91 kg), Havana, Cuba, August 1982: *1/2: Defeated Nelson Rosas (Puerto Rico) KO 1 *Finals: Defeated James Parson (United States Virgin Islands) RET 1 USA–Cuba Duals (+91 kg), Sparks Convention Center,
Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...
, November 1982: *Defeated Tyrell Biggs (United States) KO 2 XXI Playa Girón National Championships (+91 kg), Las Tunas, Cuba, January 1983: *1/4: Lost to Jorge Luis González (Cuba) by decision Cuba–GDR Duals (+91 kg), n. a., 1983: *Lost to Ulli Kaden (East Germany) by decision XVI Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+91 kg), Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, August 1983: *1/2: Defeated Epifanio Estrada (Cuba) by decision *Finals: Lost to Aleksandr Lukstin (Soviet Union) by split decision, 2–3 North American Championships (+91 kg), Houston, Texas, September 1983: *1/2: Lost to
Craig Payne Craig Payne (May 22, 1961 – April 7, 2017) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2001, challenging for the IBO heavyweight title in 1992. As an amateur, he won the National Golden Gloves super heavyweight title in 1983. ...
(United States) by split decision, 2–3 XXII Playa Girón National Championships (+91 kg),
Manzanillo, Cuba Manzanillo is a municipality and city in the Granma Province of Cuba. By population, it is the 14th-largest Cuban city and the most populated one not being a provincial seat. Geography It is a port city in the Granma Province in eastern Cuba on t ...
, January 1984: *Finals: Defeated Félix Lemus (Cuba) by decision USA–Cuba Duals (+91 kg), Sparks Convention Center,
Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...
, February 1984: *Defeated Tyrell Biggs (United States) by split decision, 3–2 XIII Chemistry Cup (+91 kg), Halle, East Germany, March–April 1984: *1/4: Defeated Olaf Walther (East Germany) KO 2 *1/2: Defeated Pyotr Skok (Soviet Union) RSC 1 *Finals: Defeated Ulli Kaden (East Germany) by majority decision, 4–1 AIBA International Challenge (+91 kg),
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, April 1984: *Defeated
Biaggio Chianese Biaggio Chianese (born October 28, 1961 in giugliano (naples)) is a retired boxer from Italy, who won the bronze medal at both the 1986 World Amateur Boxing Championships and the 1987 European Amateur Boxing Championships in the men's he ...
(Italy) by unanimous decision, 5–0 Intercup (+91 kg),
Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
,
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, May 1984: *1/2: Defeated Karl-Heinz Geus (West Germany) KO 2 *Finals: Defeated John Emmen (Netherlands) RSC 1 Cuba–USSR Duals (+91 kg), Havana, Cuba, August 1984: *Defeated Valeriy Abadzhyan (Soviet Union) KO 2
Friendship Games The Friendship Games, or Friendship-84 (russian: Дружба-84, ''Druzhba-84''), was an international multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many differ ...
(+91 kg), Havana, Cuba, August 1984: *1/2: Defeated Ulli Kaden (East Germany) KO 2 *Finals: Defeated Valeriy Abadzhyan (Soviet Union) RET 3 III TSC Tournament (+81 kg), Berlin, East Germany, September 1984: *Finals: Defeated Ulli Kaden (East Germany) KO 2 XXIII Playa Girón National Championships (+91 kg), Nueva Gerona,
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, January 1985: *1/4: Lost to Félix Lemus (Cuba) by decision VI Military Spartakiad of the Friendly Armies of the Socialist Countries (+91 kg), Bydgoszcz, Poland, August 1985: *1/4: Defeated Khalil Nasser (Iraq) by walkover *1/2: Lost to Vyacheslav Yakovlev (Soviet Union) by unanimous decision, 0–5 IV TSC Tournament (+91 kg), Berlin, East Germany, September 1985: *1/2: Defeated Sergey Kormilitsyn (Soviet Union) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *Finals: Defeated Ulli Kaden (East Germany) by unanimous decision, 5–0 XXI Vaclav Prochazka Memorial (+91 kg), Ostrava,
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
, October 1985: *1/4: Defeated ? Baguin (Czechoslovakia) *1/2: Defeated Ilya Iliev (Bulgaria) *Finals: Defeated
Biaggio Chianese Biaggio Chianese (born October 28, 1961 in giugliano (naples)) is a retired boxer from Italy, who won the bronze medal at both the 1986 World Amateur Boxing Championships and the 1987 European Amateur Boxing Championships in the men's he ...
(Italy) by walkover XXIV Playa Girón National Championships (+91 kg), Havana, Cuba, January 1986: *1/2: Defeated Juan Carlos Ortega (Cuba) RSC 1 *Finals: Defeated Félix Lemus (Cuba) RET 3 XXXVII Strandzha Cup (+91 kg), Sofia, Bulgaria, February 1986: *1/4: Defeated Aleksander Burmistrov (Bulgaria) by majority decision, 4–1 *1/2: Defeated
Petar Stoimenov Petar Stoimenov (born 8 April 1960) is a Bulgarian boxer. He competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul ...
(Bulgaria) KO 2 *Finals: Defeated Lachezar Kamenov (Bulgaria) by unanimous decision, 5–0 XV Chemistry Cup (+91 kg), Halle, East Germany, March 1986: *Finals: Lost to Ulli Kaden (East Germany) by unanimous decision, 0–5 XVII Ústí nad Labem Grand Prix (+91 kg) Ústí nad Labem,
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
, March 1986: *1/2: Defeated Valeriy Aseyev (Soviet Union) RSC 2 *Finals: Defeated István Lévai (Hungary) by unanimous decision, 5–0 XIX Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+91 kg), Guantánamo, Cuba, April 1986: *1/4: Lost to Osvaldo Castillo (Cuba) by majority decision, 1–4
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
(+91 kg), Sparks Convention Center,
Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...
, May 1986: *1/8: Defeated Ulli Kaden (East Germany) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/4: Defeated
Petar Stoimenov Petar Stoimenov (born 8 April 1960) is a Bulgarian boxer. He competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul ...
(Bulgaria) KO 1 *1/2: Defeated Vyacheslav Yakovlev (Soviet Union) by majority decision, 4–1 *Finals: Defeated Alex García (United States) RSCH 2 He finished his twenty-years-long career having 332 fights under his belt, with a record of 302 wins, 22 losses (only 1 by knockout,) and 8 draws. Various western estimates totaling his record to 500+ fights, including there hundreds of unaccounted tough sparrings with a degree of aliveness outstanding for amateur boxing, which paid off with such an excellent career (his fearsome reputation alone brought him 22 walkover wins, and a number of byes to skip unnecessary encounters with a limited opposition.)


1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics

Stevenson might have captured more gold medals for his country, but the Cuban government for purely political reasons
boycotted A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
the 1984 Los Angeles Games and refused to attend the 1988 Seoul Games because
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
was not allowed to cosponsor the event. At his prime in the 1970s, Stevenson dominance in the amateur heavyweight division coincided with Muhammad Ali's reign as the world's heavyweight champion in professional boxing. Stevenson was often dubbed by the American media as Ali's "Communist twin", and speculations went back and forth as to their much anticipated fight if Stevenson would accept an offer to turn pro (which in essence meant to defect and to leave Cuba permanently). Along with Pete Rademacher, he was the only amateur boxer who was offered a shot at the world's heavyweight title in his potential pro debut. Eventually Ali spent one week in Cuba with Stevenson, but their matchup would never happen. Stevenson, when he finally met Ali, suggested to Ali to arrange a three- or four-round fight. Ali refused to fight Stevenson's way, implying he would face him off in a standard 15-round championship bout, in which he would have an edge by outlasting his opponentCuban Heavyweight Looks For 3rd Gold
by Will Grimsley (AP Special Correspondent), ''Hanover Evening Sun'', 25 July 1980, p. 10.
(al though in 1971 Ali himself invited the recent Soviet heavyweight champion Kamo Saroyan, who visited the United States, for a two-round bout). When the aging Ali was going to fight Larry Holmes in 1980, and Stevenson was making his way to the third gold medal in Moscow, Stevenson commented to the press that now it was Ali who should have insisted on a three- or four-round fight. Stevenson turned down several lucrative offers to go pro, which came from various internationally well-known U.S. boxing kingpins, most notably from
Don King Donald King (born August 20, 1931) is an American boxing promoter, known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups. He has been a controversial figure, partly due to a manslaughter conviction and civil cases against him, as well a ...
and
Bob Arum Robert Arum (born December 8, 1931) is an American lawyer and boxing promoter. He is the founder and CEO of Top Rank, a professional boxing promotion company based in Las Vegas. Prior to becoming a boxing promoter, Arum was employed as an attorn ...
. King's top rival Arum almost succeeded and came the closest to pulling off an Ali-Stevenson matchup when the Cubans accepted his $1 million offer for five three-round
exhibition fight An exhibition fight is a sports match which is not part of a competition but instead serves the function of demonstrating the skills of the participants In boxing, an exhibition fight normally consists of three to eight rounds. The participants ge ...
s. "We plan to use this money for social problems," an INDER official said at the time. But the
U.S. Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...
did not allow the series, saying that it violated terms of the
U.S. embargo against Cuba The United States embargo against Cuba prevents American businesses, and businesses organized under U.S. law or majority-owned by American citizens, from conducting trade with Cuban interests. It is the most enduring trade embargo in modern hist ...
. Apart from that attempt, Arum used a Jamaican promoter, Lucien Chen, as a mediator, to propose a $1 million fight against
Leon Spinks Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...
. "I envisioned a fight that would be attended by the two presidents, Fidel Castro and Jimmy Carter," Chen said. Nevertheless, Stevenson's professional debut never did happen, because he remained loyal to the Cuban revolutionary ideals, never accepting any payday for himself, no matter how big it appeared. After knocking out three opponents at the Munich Olympics in September 1972, including Duane Bobick of the United States, Stevenson was approached by an American promoter, who offered him $1 million to turn pro on the spot. "I will not trade the Cuban people for all the dollars in the world," Stevenson was heard to say. "Stevenson would have been phenomenal as a pro, he could have been in the same class as Muhammad Ali or Joe Frazier. But we'll never know," said Don King.


Retirement and later years

Stevenson finished his sports career in 1988. He started to work as a boxing trainer and sports functionary. He worked at the National Institute for Sports, Physical Education, and Recreation (INDER,) also he served as vice president of the Cuban Boxing Federation. In 1999, Stevenson was arrested for an altercation incident at
Miami International Airport Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the greater Miami metropolitan area with over 1,000 daily flights to 167 domestic and international destinations, including most c ...
where, before boarding a
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
chartered jet of the Cuban national boxing team, he allegedly headbutted a 41-year-old
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
ticket counter employee, knocking him off several teeth in the process. According to Stevenson, an "agitator" approached him at the airport shouting insults against the Cuban government. Stevenson failed to attend the subsequent court proceedings, having travelled to Havana after his release from custody while on bail. The Cuban state newspaper '' Trabajadores'' blamed what it described as the " Miami mafia" (i.e. Cuban exiles, whose vast diaspora reside in Florida) for provoking the incident, alleging that the
Cuban American National Foundation The Cuban American National Foundation is a foundation with the aim of assisting members of the Cuban community in Miami, Florida. Background and founding The Cuban National American Foundation was founded at a time when Republican American polit ...
organised a public gathering to abuse Stevenson when he returned to Miami airport after his arrest. The newspaper believed that the motives for the alleged provocation were somehow to cast a shadow upon a Cuban sports star.


Death

Stevenson died on 11 June 2012 of a heart attack in
Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
at the age of 60. It was first reported by Cuban state media, stating "the Cuban sporting family was moved today by the passing of one of the greatest of all time". It had been reported earlier by an anonymous sports official that Stevenson had suffered a heart attack. He was survived by his two children. A forthcoming documentary by Brin-Jonathan Butler, ''Split Decision'', contains the last known interview with Stevenson.


Awards and honours

* Stevenson was awarded the Val Barker Trophy for Outstanding Boxer at the 1972 Olympic Games. * In 1972, Stevenson became a
Merited Master of Sport of the USSR Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR (russian: Единая Всесоюзная спортивная классификация) is a document which provided general Soviet physical education system requirements for both athletes an ...
, one of a few foreign athletes to be awarded the title in its history.


References


External links

* *
Amateur career of Teófilo Stevenson
(in Spanish) compiled by Pedro Cabrera Isidrón of the Cuban Olympics Committee. Last updated: 25 June 2008 * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Teofilo 1952 births People from Puerto Padre Cuban people of Saint Kitts and Nevis descent Cuban people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines descent Cuban Roman Catholics Cuban communists Super-heavyweight boxers Heavyweight boxers Olympic boxers of Cuba Olympic gold medalists for Cuba Boxers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 1976 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 1980 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in boxing Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 1971 Pan American Games Boxers at the 1975 Pan American Games Boxers at the 1979 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba Pan American Games bronze medalists for Cuba Competitors at the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Cuba 2012 deaths Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR Recipients of the Olympic Order Cuban male boxers AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists Pan American Games medalists in boxing Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in boxing Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games