Teofilo Stevenson
(1952)

The Cuban entered the boxing legend by winning three gold medals at the Olympics (1972, 1976 and 1980) in the heavyweight category. Its fantastic track record also has three world titles (1974, 1978 and 1986). The United States put to offers to turn professional, but Teofilo Stevenson rejects them all. He does not intersect Muhammad Ali outside the ring. He is now vice president of the Federation of Cuban boxing and Member of Parliament.
His response slap as his straight right. "What is a million dollars compared to the love of my people?" We are in 1974. Teofilo Stevenson address an estoppel to Angelo Dundee, who wish to oppose the Olympic champion in heavyweight Muhammad Ali in five rounds at Madison Square Garden in New York. Cuba's only 22 years old, but his convictions are already tough.

They will always be a few years later, when other American promoters try to woo. Nothing will. Neither Bob Arum, who offered him a title shot against world heavyweight Leon Spinks, nor Don King for a fight against Larry Holmes, who will return to the load

years later with $ 4 million for a clash against Mike Tyson.

In 1977 however, the Cuban federation proposed an arrangement to AIBA (International Amateur Federation): Five fights against Ali Stevenson three times without losing its amateur status. Initially excluded by the AIBA, the project is selected a year later. But Ali refused to commit, saying that he had everything to lose.
On the square of the revolution, Fidel Castro will draw repeatedly LEASE Stevenson pushed for "traffickers in body and soul" who tried to lure him by wealth. Throughout his career, one that is considered the greatest amateur boxer of all time has remained true to his convictions.

Lawrens Teofilo Stevenson was born March 29, 1952. He grew up in Puerto Padre in Las Tunas province, where his parents work in the plantations of sugar cane. His father was born in St. Vincent and his mother, born in Cuba, is the daughter of immigrants from St. Kitts. This explains why Stevenson speaks English.
First basketball, the young Téofilo goes to a boxing gym at the age of 12. It was discovered by Alcides Sagarra, the father of the Cuban boxing great school, and went to Havana for training for young sporting talent. "I lost
14 of my first 20 fights, including the top three. I did not like it hits me, let alone lose. "But the successes are not long. He won his first competition outside of the Friendship Tournament in Sofia (Bulgaria) in 1970.
The world discovers what the Cuban good looks and impressive physique (1.92 m) in 1972 Olympics in Munich. Téofilo just won the second of the twelve national titles (1971 to 1986) and claimed the Olympic gold. That challenges the American Duane Bobick, who won the prodigy 1 / 2 Pan American Games final a year ago. But during their reunion in 1 / 4 finals, Stevenson knocked out in the third recovery. Then it was the turn of the German Peter Hussing suffer the same fate in two rounds. "I had never been hit as hard, says the latter. We do not see his right hand and suddenly it is there on your chin. "The final seems to be a formality for Stenvenson. It is the Romanian Ion Alexe since the package is to injury.

Four years later in Montreal, after winning his first world title in August 1974 during the first World Championships in Havana, the reigning Olympic champion, has just been elected to the Cuban parliament, gets rid of his first three opponents record time of 7'22'', including the American John Tate knocked in the semifinals in 1'36''. In the final, Mircea Simion Romania's third round to take a throw in the towel and his coach.

After his two Olympic titles, Stevenson also double up at the world championships in 1978 in Belgrade. A year earlier, however, the explosion of an alcohol stove had caused serious burns by doubts about the continuation of his career. He went to Moscow in major favorite in view of the boycott of Americans. In the semifinals, the Hungarian Istvan Levai is the first to hold three rounds against the Cuban Olympic champion, but he bows to the points. Stevenson won his third gold medal and equal the record for the Hungarian Lazlo Papp, beating Russia's Pyotr Zayev final.

Despite this, many believe that the champion is on the decline. Its firepower is no longer rampant and the Italian Francesco Damiani beats him on points in quarter-finals of the World Cup 1982 in Munich. The following year, he bows to Jorge Luis Gonzalez in the national championship and to American Greg Payne at the North American Championships. But two years later, it is sacred to the super-heavy, the World Reno, and 34. This is the last title for the great Cuban who announced his retirement in July 1988 after a farewell fight in Las Tunas, with a record of 302 wins and 22 defeats.