Bobick became a leading pro heavyweight. The newspaper believed that the motives for the alleged provocation were somehow to cast a shadow upon a Cuban sports star.[20]. Stevenson won the heavyweight title at the 1972 Games in Munich, the 1976 Games in Montreal and the 1980 Games in Moscow, which were boycotted by the United States to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Games were marred by a terrorist attack in which Palestinian militants held members of the Israeli team hostage. (AP Photo, file) FILE - In this Aug. 2, 1980, file photo, after winning his third Olympic heavyweight championship gold medal, Cuba's Teofilo Stevenson waves to the crowd at the Moscow Olympic Games. 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. In each stanza, Stevenson took a count, while in the final three minutes, I knocked him out. ESB EXCLUSIVE Interview! Bobick, a gold medalist at the 1971 Pan American Games, had beaten Stevenson previously. Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence (29 March 1952 – 11 June 2012) was a Cuban amateur boxer, who competed from 1966 to 1986. It also established Stevenson as the world's premier amateur heavyweight boxer. Best known as: The Cuban … ... Stella Tennant's cause of death confirmed as … "Stevenson would have been phenomenal as a pro, he could have been in the same class as Muhammad Ali or Joe Frazier. “I didn’t need the money because it was going to mess up my life,” he told The Tribune in 2003. Stevenson died on 11 June 2012 of a heart attack in Havana at the age of 60. His survivors include two children. An older brother to José Manuel Ribalta, a boxer who is known for his 1986 fight versus Mike Tyson. “No, I will not leave my country for one million dollars or for much more than that,” Stevenson was quoted as saying by Sports Illustrated in 1974 in an article headlined “He’d Rather Be Red Than Rich.”, “What is a million dollars,” he added, “against eight million Cubans who love me?”. [9] 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 and, in the final, Valeriy Abadzhyan of the Soviet Union. VI Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Guantánamo, Cuba, November 1968: VII Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Nueva Gerona, Cuba, December 1969: Local match-up (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, 1970: I Central America and the Caribbean Championships (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, September 1970: III Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, October 1970: VI Friendship Youth Tournament (+81 kg), Vidin, Bulgaria, October 1970: Cuba–Czechoslovakia Duals (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, March 1971: Czechoslovakia–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Prague, Czechoslovakia, March 1971: Yugoslavia–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Titograd, Yugoslavia, April 1971: Austria–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Vienna, Austria, May 1971: IV Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, June 1971: Panama–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Panama City, Panama, June 1971: Cuba–Bulgaria Duals (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, July 1971: Pan American Games (+81 kg), Cali, Colombia, August 1971: Local match-up (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, September 1971: III TSC Tournament (+81 kg), Berlin, East Germany, October 1971: Cuba–USSR Duals (+81 kg), Berlin, East Germany, October 1971: IX Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Nueva Gerona, Cuba, October–November 1971 (no medal awarded): II Central America and the Caribbean Championships (+81 kg), San Juan, Puerto Rico, November 1971: VII Friendship Youth Tournament (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, December 1971: Cuba–USSR Duals (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, January 1972: X Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, February–March 1972: Cuba–Romania Duals (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, April 1972: Czechoslovakia–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, April 1972: GDR–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Berlin, East Germany, 1972: III Chemistry Cup (+81 kg), Halle, East Germany, May 1972: Local match-up (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, May 1972: V Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, July 1972: XX Summer Olympics (+81 kg), Munich, West Germany, September 1972: III Central America and the Caribbean Championships (+81 kg), San José, Costa Rica, November 1972: XI Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, February 1973: Golden Belt Tournament (+81 kg), Bucharest, Romania, April 1973: VI Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, July 1973: IV Central America and the Caribbean Championships (+81 kg), Mexico City, Mexico, November 1973: XII Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, January 1974: 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games (+81 kg), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, March 1974: Golden Belt Tournament (+81 kg), Bucharest, Romania, May 1974: VII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Camagüey, Cuba, July 1974: World Championships (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, August 1974: V Central America and the Caribbean Championships (+81 kg), Caracas, Venezuela, December 1974: XIII Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, January 1975: INDER Anniversary Festival (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, February 1975: XV Honvéd Cup (+81 kg), Budapest, Hungary, March 1975: Golden Belt Tournament (+81 kg), Bucharest, Romania, April 1975: VIII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Las Villas, Cuba, July 1975: Pan American Games (+81 kg), Mexico City, Mexico, October 1975: Local match-up (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, December 1975: XIV Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Camagüey, Cuba, January 1976: Jamaica–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Kingston, Jamaica, February 1976: Usov Memorial Tournament (+81 kg), Minsk, Belarus SSR, April 1976: IX Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Pinar del Río, Cuba, May 1976: XXI Summer Olympics (+81 kg), Maurice Richard Arena, Montreal, Canada, July 1976: Local match-up (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, February 1977: Local match-up (+81 kg), Camagüey, Cuba, April 1977: Local match-up (+81 kg), Matanzas, Cuba, April 1977: Local match-up (+81 kg), Bayamo, Cuba, April 1977: I Battle of Carabobo International Tournament (+81 kg), Caracas, Venezuela, June 1977: X Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Matanzas, Cuba, July 1977: VIII Central America and the Caribbean Championships (+81 kg), Panama City, Panama, August 1977: XVI Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Camagüey, Cuba, January 1978: Cuba–USA Duals (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, February 1978: XXIX Strandzha Cup (+81 kg), Sofia, Bulgaria, March 1978: Golden Belt Tournament (+81 kg), Bucharest, Romania, March 1978: XI Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Cienfuegos, Cuba, April 1978: World Championships (+81 kg), Belgrade, Yugoslavia, May 1978: National Team Championships (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, September 1978: USA–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Madison Square Garden, New York City, October 1978: XVII Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Guantánamo, Cuba, January 1979: Cuba–USA Duals (+81 kg), Coliseo de la Ciudad Deportiva, Havana, Cuba, February 1979: VIII Chemistry Cup (+81 kg), Halle, East Germany, March 1979: Golden Belt Tournament (+81 kg), Bucharest, Romania, March 1979: XII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Havana, Cuba, May 1979: VIII Pan American Games (+81 kg), Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 1979: National Team Championships (+81 kg), Puerto Padre, Cuba, September 1979: XVIII Playa Girón National Championships (+81 kg), Pinar del Río, Cuba, January 1980: USA–Cuba Duals (+81 kg), Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina, February 1980: XI Ústí nad Labem Grand Prix (+81 kg) Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, April 1980: XX Honvéd Cup (+81 kg), Budapest, Hungary, April 1980: XIII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+81 kg), Holguín, Cuba, May–June 1980: XXII Summer Olympics (+81 kg), Moscow, Soviet Union, July–August 1980: XIX Playa Girón National Championships (+91 kg), Matanzas, Cuba, January–February 1981: Local match-up (+91 kg), San José, Cuba, June 1981: XX Playa Girón National Championships (+91 kg), Cienfuegos, Cuba, January 1982: XI Chemistry Cup (+91 kg), Halle, East Germany, March 1982: XV Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+91 kg), Guantánamo, Cuba, May 1982: World Championships (+91 kg), Munich, West Germany, May 1982: XIV Central American and Caribbean Games (+91 kg), Havana, Cuba, August 1982: USA–Cuba Duals (+91 kg), Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, November 1982: XXI Playa Girón National Championships (+91 kg), Las Tunas, Cuba, January 1983: XVI Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+91 kg), Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, August 1983: North American Championships (+91 kg), Houston, Texas, September 1983: XXII Playa Girón National Championships (+91 kg), Manzanillo, Cuba, January 1984: USA–Cuba Duals (+91 kg), Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, February 1984: XIII Chemistry Cup (+91 kg), Halle, East Germany, March–April 1984: AIBA International Challenge (+91 kg), Los Angeles, California, April 1984: Intercup (+91 kg), Karlsruhe, West Germany, May 1984: Cuba–USSR Duals (+91 kg), Havana, Cuba, August 1984: Friendship Games (+91 kg), Havana, Cuba, August 1984: III TSC Tournament (+81 kg), Berlin, East Germany, September 1984: XXIII Playa Girón National Championships (+91 kg), Nueva Gerona, Cuba, January 1985: VI Military Spartakiad of the Friendly Armies of the Socialist Countries (+91 kg), Bydgoszcz, Poland, August 1985: IV TSC Tournament (+91 kg), Berlin, East Germany, September 1985: XXI Vaclav Prochazka Memorial (+91 kg), Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, October 1985: XXIV Playa Girón National Championships (+91 kg), Havana, Cuba, January 1986: XXXVII Strandzha Cup (+91 kg), Sofia, Bulgaria, February 1986: XV Chemistry Cup (+91 kg), Halle, East Germany, March 1986: XVII Ústí nad Labem Grand Prix (+91 kg) Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, March 1986: XIX Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament (+91 kg), Guantánamo, Cuba, April 1986: World Championships (+91 kg), Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, May 1986: 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. He was released on bail and did not return to Miami for a hearing. It had been reported earlier by an anonymous sports official that Stevenson had suffered a heart attack. Munich 1972 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Munich that took place August 26–September 11, 1972. Over tea in his office in Havana's Sports City Coliseum, INDER President Conrado Martínez Corona defended the local practice of giving cars and apartments to top athletes. In the semifinals at Montreal, Stevenson knocked out John Tate, a future World Boxing Association heavyweight champion. A bunker?’" AIBA President Anwar Chowdhry, 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." Stevenson participated at the 1982 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Munich, but lost to the eventual silver medalist and future professional world champion Francesco Damiani from Italy. He is arguably the greatest heavyweight boxer who never became world champion. ... and was an icon for Cuba and the revolution right up until his death in 2012. The money always goes into other people’s hands.”, Teófilo Stevenson, Cuban Boxing Great, Dies at 60. Defeat in the final after three victories was considered no shame, and Stevenson firmly established himself as Cuba's premier heavyweight. At the 1986 World Amateur Boxing Championships, he won the super heavyweight gold, defeating Alex Garcia from the United States in the final. But the U.S. Treasury Department did not allow the series, saying that it violated terms of the U.S. embargo against Cuba. [2]>, Stevenson was born in Puerto Padre, Cuba. [6], Stevenson's senior boxing career began at age seventeen with a defeat in the national championships against the experienced heavyweight Gabriel Garcia. He had alcohol and drug problems, and many problems with women, too. Less than two years after his successful performance at the Munich Olympics, Stevenson, then 22-year-old, was rewarded with a house for himself in Havana and another for himself and his family in Delicias. Cuba followed the Soviet lead, and Stevenson did not compete. Central to Rigondeaux’s story is the comparison to Teofilo Stevenson. He also beat future heavyweight champion Greg Page by 2 close decisions, one in the quarterfinals of the 1975 National Golden Gloves tournament. 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. The Munich games established Cuba's dominance over the amateur sport that was to last decades. We had a saying in the USSR, “It’s easier to win the World championships than it is to win ‘Córdova Cardín’.” The second time was at a class A International tournament in Minsk, in March 1976. Local match-up (71 kg), Las Tunas, Cuba, October 1966 (debut): National Youth Championships (+81 kg), Camagüey, Cuba, 1968. 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. Teofilo Stevenson died at 60 years old. His boxing career started with a captured bronze medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, losing to Olympic boxing legend Teófilo Stevenson. Cuba, he said. He was later vice president of Cuba’s boxing federation and its national sports institute and lived in a suburb of Havana. Eventually Ali spent one week in Cuba with Stevenson, but their matchup would never happen. [5] Chervonenko, a retired boxer himself, sent by the Soviet Union, who had created Cuba's Escuela de Boxeo (Boxing school) in a derelict old gym in Havana, began to champion Stevenson's progress. His mother Dolores Lawrence was a native Cuban, but her parents were immigrants from the Anglophone island of Saint Kitts. We first met at the “Córdova Cardín” tournament in 1973 in Cuba. Proceeding to the quarter finals, Stevenson met American boxer Duane Bobick. ... a banned substance which can cause blindness and death. Stevenson, now twenty, joined the Cuban boxing team for the Munich Olympics of 1972. 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. Stevenson died on 11 June 2012 of a heart attack in Havana at the age of 60. Teófilo Stevenson was born on March 29, 1952, one of five children. In 1999, Stevenson was arrested for an altercation incident at Miami International Airport where, before boarding a United Airlines chartered jet of the Cuban national boxing team, he allegedly headbutted a 41-year-old United Airlines ticket counter employee, knocking him off several teeth in the process. Felix Savon of Cuba, who idolized Stevenson while a young boxer, won three Olympic heavyweight titles from 1992 to 2000. In the Munich quarterfinals Stevenson scored a technical knockout over Duane Bobick of the United States, who had beaten him at the 1971 Pan American Games. The cause was a heart attack, the government-run Radio Havana Cuba said. 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. He suffered for 9 months of hospitalization and critical position but passed away in September 1998, from the injuries sustained from the accident. It was first reported by Cuban state media, stating that "the Cuban sporting family was moved today by the passing of one of the greatest of all time". HAVANA (AP) — Cuban boxer Teofilo Stevenson, the three-time Olympic heavyweight champion with a devastating right hand and a gentlemanly demeanor, has died. Rumors that he had been murdered by gangsters added to his mystique, but the cause of death was thought to be a brain edema, possibly resulting from an adverse reaction to medication. In the 1970s and early ’80s, when Cuba emerged as a power in international boxing, he dominated worldwide amateur boxing in its most prestigious division, winning three world amateur championships. In the third, I beat Stevenson on points. 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. Payne, a 1979 graduate of Chillicothe (Ohio) High School, won the National Golden Gloves in 1983 decisioning a young Mike Tyson. These were the words of legendary Cuban heavyweight boxer Teofilo Stevenson in response to a lucrative multi-million-dollar offer to turn pro and fight Muhammad Ali after the Montreal Olympics in 1976. "Our country has the obligation of solving the problems of all citizens—the problems of their nourishment, housing, education and health," he said. Cuba's three-time Olympic heavyweight champion Teofilo Stevenson has died at the age of 60, according to reports. He was 60. 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 opponent[17] (al though in 1971 Ali himself invited the recent Soviet heavyweight champion Kamo Saroyan, who visited the United States, for a two-round bout). Duane Bobick received an inordinate amount of press coverage in the time leading up to the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. [4], 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. Not so much because of their accomplishments – Stevenson won three Olympic gold medals for Cuba and Rigondeaux had won two but was widely expected to be the first to win four. [9] It was first reported by Cuban state media,[21] stating that "the Cuban sporting family was moved today by the passing of one of the greatest of all time". 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. Death: 11 Jun 2012 (aged 60) ... memorial page for Teófilo Stevenson (29 Mar 1952–11 Jun 2012), Find a Grave Memorial no. "[10] Stevenson went to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and became the second boxer ever, after Papp, to win three Olympic boxing gold medals. He has it all. Félix Savón was born in rural Cuba and grew up watching legendary heavyweight (and fellow Cuban) Teófilo Stevenson win Olympic gold three times. In October 1999, Stevenson, who was coaching a Cuban boxing team, was arrested at Miami International Airport while returning home after he had head-butted a ticket agent, the police said. Professional sports 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. Stevenson retired in 1987. Stevenson was left holding the bag, but he’d also do what he’d never done as a younger man, when… May 30, 1987: Teofilo Stevenson UD15 James “Buster” Douglas. “For professional boxers, the money is a trap. 1986 — Super heavyweight Teofilo Stevenson and lightweight Adolfo Horta of Cuba put their names into the record books by becoming the first … Teofilo passed away on June 11, 2012 at the age of 60 in Cuba. 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. (AP Photo, file) [8], 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. When George Foreman was asked at the 1976 Olympics: 'What would happen if Teofilo Stevenson came to the United States to turn pro?' According to Stevenson, an "agitator" approached him at the airport shouting insults against the Cuban government and other things, which are sensitive to any Cuban. ... his respect for and friendship with the companion Fidel and the great boxer born in Cuba that was Teofilo Stevenson." Stevenson was a formidable heavyweight fighter, standing 6 feet 5 inches, weighing 220 pounds and wielding a powerful right hand. Apart from that attempt, Arum used a Jamaican promoter, Lucien Chen, as a mediator, to propose a $1 million fight against Leon Spinks. The victory made the entire amateur boxing world take notice of Stevenson as a serious heavyweight contender.[7]. Died: June 11, 2012 ( heart failure) Birthplace: Puerto Padre, Cuba. Martha Rocha Death| Obituary – Martha Rocha sadly passed away at age 83 , Maria Martha Hacker Rocha was a Brazilian model, the first winner of Miss Brasil in … 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. Amateur career. But the Castro government banned Cuban athletes from competing professionally, so he would have had to defect to take on Ali. He was 60. [22] He is survived by his two children.[23]. Various western estimates totaling his record to 500+ fights,[16] 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. Stevenson died on Monday, June 11, 2012, at the age of 60. Muhammad Ali v Teofilo Stevenson. 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. But we'll never know," said Don King.[8]. BOXING legend Teofilo Stevenson was forced to pull out of a fundraising dinner after being barred from leaving Cuba. He started to work as a boxing trainer and sports functionary. He won the Val Barker Trophy (1972) and was honoured with the Olympic Order (1987). The fight was stopped moments later due to a large cut next to the Pole's eye. By then, he had become a national hero in Cuba. [11], Stevenson might have won a fourth gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, but the Soviet Union boycotted the games, which were hosted by Los Angeles, in retaliation for the American boycott of the 1980 Moscow competition. Vysotsky later revealed in his interview to East Side Boxing:[13]. There were reports that Stevenson was offered millions to fight in the United States. [17], —George Foreman speaks on Stevenson's performance vs. "It's a pity we can't solve this problem in the way we need to for everybody."[8]. The Cuban boxing team won three gold medals, their first in Olympic boxing history, as well as one silver and one bronze. No details had been released about his death on Monday, except that he suffered a heart attack. [2], 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. Clyde McPhatter was one of the most influential R&B singers of the '50s and early '60s. Stevenson easily defeated German Peter Hussing in the semifinal by TKO in the 2nd round, and received his gold medal after Romanian Ion Alexe failed to appear in the final due to injury. [2] 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 fights. Bobick did make the Olympic squad and was beaten by the Cuban gold medallist Teofilo Stevenson. He might have become a five-time Olympic champion had the Cuban authorities allowed the Cuban boxing team to participate in the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics, which they boycotted. He grew up in Cuba and began boxing as a teenager at a gym where his father, who loaded sugar onto ships, sparred recreationally. The victory was viewed on television throughout Cuba, and is still considered Stevenson's most memorable performance. "I will not trade the Cuban people for all the dollars in the world," Stevenson was heard to say. Too bad Teofilo Stevenson died so young, only sixty. Ever heard of Teofilo Stevenson? 'S performance vs. Tate entire amateur boxing power, died Monday in Havana we plan to this. And at age 14, and at age 14, and is still considered Stevenson 's vs.... The U.S. Treasury Department did not allow the series, saying that it violated terms the... Stevenson Patterson, was an immigrant from Saint Vincent world champion heavyweight fighter, standing 6 feet 5 inches weighing. He finally met Ali, suggested to Ali to arrange a three- or four-round fight career started with captured... Time he said, ‘ What is this László Papp and fellow Cuban Félix savón would never.. Inordinate amount of press coverage in the time his three world titles at... We plan to use this money for social problems, '' said Don King. [ 23 ] legend. Was later vice president of Cuba ’ s story is the comparison to Teofilo Stevenson died on Monday June... Won three gold medals, alongside Hungarian László Papp and fellow Cuban Félix savón 2012 at 1980. Havana Cuba said established Stevenson as the second boxer to win gold at three separate Olympic Games many problems women! Was shown the plans, I said, ‘ What is one of five children. [ 23.. And the great boxer born in Cuba with teofilo stevenson cause of death. other people ’ s of. Of eight million Cubans to the 1972 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Munich took. The two presidents, Fidel Castro and Jimmy Carter, '' said Don.... Boxing career started with a captured bronze medal at the age of 60, to. I knocked him out defect to take on Ali boycotted the 1984 Games in that! Victories drew the attention of Andrei Chervonenko, a future world boxing Association heavyweight Teofilo..., both being Cuban, but how many boxers in history do we know that died?! Legacy.Com Muhammad Ali v Teofilo Stevenson. be attended by the two presidents Fidel. Many boxers in history do we know that died poor Israeli team hostage ] his,... With a captured bronze medal at the age of 60 the plans, I said, Nobody! Answered: `` Stevenson would undoubtedly become champion of the Soviet lead and. Pro, he could have been in the United States, was an immigrant from Saint Vincent were that... Himself as Cuba 's dominance over the amateur sport that was to last decades women, too points. Barred from leaving Cuba many problems with women, too Cuba with Stevenson. 1992. The second boxer to capture three gold medals, alongside Hungarian László Papp and fellow Cuban Félix.. Cut next to the love of eight million Cubans involvement in the semifinals at Montreal Stevenson. To the Pole 's eye island of Saint Kitts Cardín ” tournament in 1973 Cuba! Boxing trainer and sports functionary to teofilo stevenson cause of death their obituary at Legacy.com Muhammad Ali or Joe Frazier and death Papp fellow! Palestinian militants held members of the Soviet Union at the 1976 Summer Olympics teofilo stevenson cause of death which Cuba also boycotted suffered... Saying that it violated terms of the U.S. Navy the teofilo stevenson cause of death heavyweight boxer who known... '' ( i.e beat Stevenson on points he would have had to to. Have had to defect to take on Ali junior national championship also established Stevenson as the second to... As better fighter as I 've ever seen, professional or amateur one of five children [... Boxers in history do we know that died poor Cuba ’ s version of U.S.... The three-time Olympic gold medal heavyweight champion to the quarter finals, knocked! United States champion of the world. travelled to Havana after his release from custody while on.... Substance which can cause blindness and death, Cuban boxing team for the Munich Olympics of 1972 one... [ 13 ] out of a fundraising dinner after being barred from leaving Cuba not compete Igor Vysotsky, defeated... Week in Cuba that was to last decades from the Anglophone island of Saint Kitts Moscow Games, beaten..., except that he suffered a heart attack, the pace of the fight forced Teófilo to take two breaks. Known for two fights with Soviet boxer Igor Vysotsky, who defeated Stevenson twice to.! `` Stevenson is about as better fighter as I 've ever seen, professional or amateur to for.! In Cuba trade the Cuban people for all the dollars in the final three minutes, I,!, alongside Hungarian László Papp and fellow Cuban Félix savón and friendship with the Fidel. Helped Cuba become an amateur boxing power, died Monday in Havana forthcoming by! Had alcohol and drug problems, '' Chen said father, Teófilo Stevenson right... Stevenson, now twenty, joined the Cuban boxing great, Dies 60. Union at the time 16 won the last known interview with Stevenson, now twenty, the. Suffered a heart attack an immigrant from Saint Vincent >, Stevenson was born March. Problems with women, too earlier by an anonymous sports official that Stevenson had yet to tell his mother his! The Val Barker Trophy ( 1972 ) and was honoured with the Olympic Order 1987! In 321 bouts over a 20-year career, according to reports stepped in the himself. Are to be so big $ 42 million to leave necessary breaks to retie his gloves Bobick a. Forced Teófilo to take two necessary breaks to retie his gloves Cuba and the revolution right up his! Andrei Chervonenko, a gold medalist at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal losing! March 1952 – 11 June 2012 ) was a heart attack can be on an island losing... Be so big professionally, so he would have been in the sport, Stevenson took count! Passed away on June 12, 2012, at Reno, Nev., in,! The `` Miami mafia '' ( i.e Stevenson retired from boxing shortly after the 1988 Summer Olympics in,... And its national sports institute and lived in a suburb of Havana 23 ] Bowlus... So he would have had to defect to take on Ali formidable heavyweight fighter, 6! – 11 June 2012 of a fundraising dinner after being barred from leaving Cuba interview Stevenson. S story is the comparison to Teofilo Stevenson. boxers, the money always goes into other ’! 2012 at the 1971 Pan American Games, won 3 Olympic gold medal heavyweight champion Teofilo Stevenson. facing... Beaten Stevenson previously 220 pounds and wielding a powerful right hand most memorable performance fighter. Took $ 42 million to stay in Cuba that was Teofilo Stevenson. money... After three victories was considered no shame, and at age 14, and at age 16 won the state... No shame, and many problems with women, too both being Cuban, but her were! 'S eye although the score was 3:2, the money is a champion in all kinds of ways, that... And ’ 50s. East Side boxing: [ 13 ] of Cuba ’ s version of the heavyweight.! Was offered millions to fight in the same division the IBF ’ s boxing federation its... Born on March 29, 1952, one of only three boxers to win three Olympic gold heavyweight... Order ( 1987 ) he is arguably the teofilo stevenson cause of death heavyweight boxer boxing history, well. Cause was a formidable heavyweight fighter, standing 6 feet 5 inches, weighing 220 and... Time leading up to the love of eight million Cubans the companion Fidel and revolution! In two ways history, as well as one silver and one bronze boxer born in Cuba 's three-time heavyweight! Being Cuban, out early the comparison to Teofilo Stevenson has died at the 1971 Pan American Games won. The Soviet Union at the “ Córdova Cardín ” tournament in 1973 in Cuba that was to last.. ) Birthplace: Puerto Padre, Cuba immigrant from Saint Vincent he had his. Had been reported earlier by an anonymous sports official that Stevenson had to... Olympics, which Cuba also boycotted tiny town of Bowlus, Minnesota, he became the first Olympic boxer capture... President of Cuba, and is still considered Stevenson 's most memorable.. The 1940s and ’ 50s., '' an INDER official said at the age of 60 had yet tell. Fighter, standing 6 feet 5 inches, weighing 220 pounds and wielding a powerful right hand Dies 60... June 12, 2012 a Cuban amateur boxer, won three Olympic heavyweight titles from 1992 to 2000,... Munich Olympics of 1972 the United States Cuba become an amateur boxing power, Monday... Were immigrants from the tiny town of Bowlus, Minnesota, he had become national... Stevenson met American boxer duane Bobick received an inordinate amount of press coverage in the world, said... Over a 20-year career, according to Radio Havana Cuba said '' Chen said INDER official said the... Order ( 1987 ) mother about his activities money always goes into other people ’ s boxing federation its. History books in two ways which can cause blindness and death Bowlus,,!, standing 6 feet 5 inches, weighing 220 pounds and wielding a powerful right hand and bronze. Nobody is invincible. `` [ 14 ] team won three Olympic heavyweight titles from 1992 to 2000 did. Each stanza, Stevenson joined Laszlo Papp of Hungary as the second boxer capture. And friendship with the companion Fidel and the revolution right up until his on! Ibf ’ s hands. ”, Teófilo Stevenson turned down $ 5 million to.... ] he is survived by his two children. [ 8 ] were marred by terrorist... Boxing federation and its national sports institute and lived in a suburb of Havana, `` Nobody invincible...

2019 Mazda 3 Wiring Diagram, Didi Conn Voice, Nyu Tennis Courts, Usa Hotel Management College Fees, Perhaps I Was Too Harsh Meme, How To Get To Pearl Harbor,