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Cuba's boxers stand the test of timeBy Matt Hodges (China Daily)Updated: 2007-04-20 11:22 Some said Teofilo Stevenson got lucky at the 1972 Munich Games. They weren't saying that eight years later when he picked up his third straight heavyweight gold in Moscow. By that time, newspapers were saying he could have been the heavyweight champion of the world, following in the footsteps of Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, but for one undeniable fact: he was born in a country where professional sports have been outlawed since 1962.
Some cynics said he was given the medal on a gold platter; others praised his thundering right hooks. Time would ultimately settle the debate as he went on to claim his second then third gold at sport's greatest showcase. "The key thing with Cuban boxers is their durability, especially with people like Stevenson and Felix Savon," Richard Baker of the International Boxing Association (AIBI) told China Daily. "Usually boxers win one Olympic medal then back out." Not these two. Savon also dominated the heavyweight class at three consecutive Olympics (1992-2000) then added six world championship titles to his Olympic hat trick. The tenacity of Cuba's fighters and a culture where baseball and boxing are viewed as two outlets to glorify the country or escape abject poverty have built a legacy that looks set to continue. "They have traditionally been one of the strongest acts in amateur boxing and we expect them to do so again in Beijing," said Baker. "The world championships will be the real test of how they are shaping up." The worlds, loosely scheduled for South Korea in August, are the first qualifying event for the 2008 Olympics. Stevenson's story highlights Cuba's phenomenal success at amateur boxing and the tension that divides its fighters. Whether they choose patriotism, fidelity to the regime and cold-water baths or flatscreen TVs and trips to Disneyworld, one thing unites Cuba's boxers: their refusal to accept defeat. The stories of Stevenson and Savon perhaps epitomize this best. Savon was reportedly offered $10 million by Don King to turn professional after Atlanta but famously answered, "What do I need $10 million for when I have 11 million Cubans behind me." Stevenson got his reward at the 1996 Games when he was inducted to the Boxing Hall of Fame during the elaborate opening ceremony - the only Cuban to merit the honor in the 20th century. Some 11 years later, Cuba's sporting sweetheart is still in the limelight and preparing to make another Olympic showing - this time as a senior judge in Beijing. Cuba has 55 Olympic medals in boxing, 32 of them gold. It ranks second behind the US (107, 48), but also boasts a much better medal-to-gold ratio. Russia is a distant third. In terms of its overall Olympic ranking, Cuba placed 11th in Athens with nine gold - five in boxing. The Barcelona Games in '92 saw Cuba stamp its presence following a two-Olympiad boycott. Its pugilists picked up a shocking seven gold - the most by any country in a non-boycotted Olympics - one year after sweeping 11 of 12 weight classes at the Pan Am Games in Havana. With a history rich in heroes dating back to former world champion Kid Chocolate (a.k.a. Eligio Sardinias-Montalbo, one of the few great pros Cuba has elected to honor), Luiz Rodriguez in the '60s and bantamweight Guillermo Rigondeaux (an Olympic gold medalist in Sydney and Athens), expectations of its Olympians will not be much lower in Beijing. |
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