The famous Teofilo Stevenson was born in the small town of Puerto Padre in eastern Cuba on March 29, 1952.

His father Teofilo Stevenson Patterson was an immigrant from St. Vincent. His mother, Dolores Lawrence, was born in Cuba, but her parents were immigrants from St. Kitts. Theophilo Sr. also participated in boxing matches - thanks to his size. However, after seven fights, he became disillusioned with the corrupt pay system and retired from amateur sports.

His son went further - at the age of 20 he represented the country at the Olympics in Munich, where he defeated the "white hope" of the United States, as he was called, Duanna Bobik, and won gold medal. Stevenson took the Olympic gold three times in his weight, and at three Olympiads in a row, almost no one could do this (only Stevenson, his compatriot Felix Savon and the Hungarian Laszlo Papp).

Teofilo Stevenson could probably set another record and take a fourth Olympic gold in a row, but the Soviet Union declared a boycott of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Cuba supported him, and Stevenson could not go to the competition.

"We didn't go. I could have won a fourth medal, but you can't go against conscience, unity, brotherhood," Stevenson told the BBC in 2008.

The successive successes of the Cuban hero did not bypass any of the American contenders, such as Mike Dokes (Pan American Games, Mexico City 75), John Tate (Olympics, Montreal 76), Tony Tubbs (World Championship, Belgrade 78), as well as Soviet boxer Peter Zaev (Olympics, Moscow 80), but it should be noted that the undefeated champion lost twice to another Soviet boxer, Igor Vysotsky.

"Yes, I have always preferred to fight the best in order to evaluate my strength. For this, I worked hard, trained, spent all my strength. However, I am glad that I did not fight him, because he is a great friend, a very warm-hearted guy who loves people. He is not just a great champion. He is a great person, "Stevenson said about his failed fight with Muhammad Ali, for which he was ready to pay a fabulous fee.

According to rumors, the boxer said: "What is a million dollars compared to the love of eight million Cubans?". In Cuba, professional sports are prohibited.

Teofilo Stevenson is a famous boxer from Cuba who has had a large number of fights during his long career. The collection of this Cuban fighter has many prestigious awards.

First steps in sports

Teofilo Stevenson was born on March 29, 1952 in Puerto Padre, Cuba. The athlete's father immigrated to this country in the 20s of the last century. Upon arrival, he worked on sugar plantations. Mother also immigrated to Cuba from another Caribbean island of St. Kitts. Due to the fact that his parents came from islands where they speak English, Teofilo was fluent in this language. As a child, Teofilo Stevenson devoted a lot of time to baseball and dreamed of becoming a professional player in the future. In Cuba, this sport is very popular among local residents. Through playing baseball, he developed good reaction, there was strength in the hands. But his father, in his younger years trying to feed his family, changed many professions and even went in for boxing, but did not achieve success there. He took Teofilo to fights in Cuba and saw how interested he was watching them. After this moment, young Stevenson began to box. No one could have imagined that in the future he would become a world star and forever go down in the history of sports Teofilo Stevenson, whose height allowed him to fight in heavy weight class(over 81 kg of weight and 201 cm of height).

Beginning of amateur career

In 1962, the famous leader Fidel Castro imposed a ban on professional sports, which had previously been successfully developed in Cuba. But despite this, the country has created good conditions for sports to maintain health. Amateur sports in Cuba received a lot of attention. The schools were overflowing with a lot of young kids dreaming of big victories. One of these teenagers was Teofilo Stevenson, who went a long and hard way to become a national hero. Of course, he had good natural data. But they alone are not enough to become one of the most titled boxers in the world. Teofilo has always been distinguished by modesty, discipline, diligence and courage. Stevenson began his amateur career in various tournaments at the time. In 1970 he takes part in the Cordova Cardin tournament. There young Stevenson showed good fights, but lost to Berndt Anders in the final. Failure in the decisive battle only provoked this Cuban athlete. In the same year, this boxer became the winner of the junior championship of Central America and the Caribbean in heavyweight. And then he won the friendly tournament of the Soviet bloc countries.

Success at the Pan American Games and preparation for the Olympics in Munich

In 1971, at the Pan American Games in the final, a real battle took place between Teofilo Stevenson and Dwayne Bobick. As a result, the victory was won by an American athlete, who later gained great popularity and was included in his national team to participate in Olympic Games Oh. And in Cuba, Chervonenko created indestructible boxers from Cuban dark-skinned guys. This coach was one of many invited specialists who were supposed to raise the level of sports in the country. Andrey Chervonenko, having arrived in Cuba, turned his attention to strong and flexible dark-skinned guys, from whom in the future you can make strong fighters. This coach played important role in the fate of Teofilo. In 1972, Cuban boxers held a friendly match with Czechoslovak athletes. In the final match, Teofilo Stevenson (boxer) defeated his rival Jozsef Motyl in the second round. This meeting of athletes was a rehearsal for the upcoming Olympic Games.

1972 Olympic Games

After the 1972 Olympics, Teofilo Stevenson became known as one of the most talented heavyweight boxers of the day. At these competitions, the Cuban boxer completed all his fights ahead of schedule. In the second round, his opponent was Dwayne Bobick, who defeated Teofilo at the Pan American Games. This time, Stevenson confidently defeated the American. The victory of the Cuban was discussed many times by journalists and sports experts. The victory of a poor black Cuban over America's white hope left no one indifferent. Americans considered heavyweight to be their category. In the previous two Olympics, heavyweight victory was won by american boxers. And this time the superiority of the Americans was interrupted. The era of the Cuban Teofilo Stevenson began. In the semi-finals, this boxer defeated the formidable German athlete Peter Hussing and was preparing for the final fight. But he never took place. Rival Ion Alex, citing serious injury, refused to participate in the battle, and Teofilo Stevenson was awarded the victory. In addition to the medal, he was also recognized as the most technical boxer of the Olympic Games.

Failure at the Cordova Cardin tournament and the first victory at the World Championship

Teofilo Stevenson, the darling of his country, took part in the Cordova Cardin in 1973. Soviet athletes arrived at this tournament. With one of them, namely with the world youth champion Igor Vysotsky, who at that time was only 17 years old, Stevenson met in the final. Igor was not afraid of the famous Cuban and won the fight to the surprise of the public. Then Vysotsky international games in Minsk, which took place in 1976, again defeated Teofilo Stevenson. The Soviet boxer was the only one who twice beat the legendary Cuban athlete. Some argued that Stevenson then began to avoid fights with Igor Vysotsky. In 1974, at the World Championships, Stevenson redeemed himself in front of his many fans. In the semi-finals, he once again finished with Peter Hussing. In the final, he was waiting for a fight with Marvin Stinson. The American athlete was very afraid of Teofilo. He spent most of the fight in the clinch. The judges unanimously awarded the victory to the Cuban boxer. Thus, he won the world championship for the first time.

1976 Olympics

Stevenson looked flawless at the Montreal Olympics. No one wanted to face this Cuban machine in combat. The path to the final did not take much of his strength. He finished all his fights with knockouts, while spending just over 7 minutes. The final fight lasted 3 rounds. It took Teofilo Stevenson so much time to knock out the Romanian Mircea Simon. After the knockdown, the coach of the Romanian athlete threw out the white flag, and Stevenson won the Olympic Games for the second time. After another victory, Don King himself made him an advantageous offer. In which he asked the boxer to leave Cuba and become a professional. After that, he could face the legendary American professional boxers such as Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. However, Teofilo turned King down.

Continuing a career and preparing for the Olympics in Russia

In 1978 Stevenson continued his winning streak. At the beginning of the year, he became the winner in the national championship. And then in the same year he had no equal at the World Championships in Belgrade. In 1978, the Cuban national team began preparations for the upcoming Olympics, which will be held in the USSR. She held 2 friendly matches with athletes from America. The Cubans emerged victorious in both confrontations. Teofilo Stevenson won both bouts at his weight class.

1980 Olympics

The 1980 Olympics were held in the USSR. Once again, Cuban heavyweight Stevenson was in great shape. He easily reached the final, where the Soviet boxer Pyotr Zaev was waiting for him. The judges after the fight awarded the victory to Stevenson, and he became the Olympic champion for the third time. The 1980 Olympics was the last for this legendary boxer. Not because he ceased to be an excellent boxer after 4 years. On the contrary, in 1984 this boxer was in great shape. In February of that year, Teofilo defeated the famous Tyler Bigs. The 1984 Olympics were boycotted by most socialist countries. Therefore, Cuban athletes, among whom there are Olympic boxing champions, did not go to the games. Experts assumed that upcoming games Stevenson could win the Olympics 4 times. This Cuban heavyweight won his last victory at the World Championships in 1986. After that, he ended his successful and long career. For 324 fights, Teofilo Stevenson lost only 22 fights. He was greatly missed at the 1988 Olympics.

Boxer's personal life

Teofilo Stevenson was married 4 times. His last wife was much younger than him. She bore him a son. famous boxer often got into the newspapers because of his love affairs.

Teofilo Stevenson, whose biography has developed successfully, is a true boxing legend. After completing his career, he remained in the sport. In the past, the famous Cuban heavyweight was appointed to the position of vice-president of the Boxing Federation in his homeland, and he also taught at the Institute of Sports. On June 11, 2012, Teofilo Stevenson died of a heart attack.

Five men sit at a small table on a beach in Havana, Cuba, talking and playing dominoes. There is a casual seriousness to their conversation as they talk about their role in the socio-political experiment that has shaped their lives and those of their fellow Cubans.

These people are not sociologists, politicians or soldiers. These are boxers who, in their youth, brought glory to their country with the strength of their fists and the intensity of their pride. Five living witnesses to the rise of the Cuban school of boxing, a product of the Cuban Revolution that became the dominant force in amateur boxing.

Men and their conversations serve as content for The People's Fighters: Teofilo Stevenson and the Legends of Cuban Boxing, a new documentary film Olympic Channel created by Frank Marshall and Peter Berg.

“This is the history of Cuba, shown through the lens of boxing, which has become much more big story than a story just about boxing,” said Marshall, producer of such classics as Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Color Purple.

The Rafael Trejo Gym in Old Havana, Cuba, still accepts young fighters who want to train in boxing. Photo courtesy of olympicchannel.com

Dominoes playing caballeros - Emilio Correa Sr., Jorge Hernandez, Armando Martinez, José Gomez and Rolando Garbey. They are 65, 63, 56, 59 and 70 years old, respectively. With the exception of Garbey, they have all won Olympic gold. The senior statesman of the group won a silver in 1968, a bronze in 1976, and eventually became the coach of the Cuban national team.

The sculpted bodies of their youth had vanished, replaced by wrinkles and gray hair. Despite this, the fighting spirit that once made them national heroes still lingers inside, as does pride in their homeland and accomplishments. These wise old men, along with other Cubans, have a frank account of the glory and triumph that have been their lives.

It was the best thing that happened,” Marshall said. After being shut down for such a long time, they really got a chance to talk about themselves. It was wonderful. Ten years ago, I could not even go there.

Berg, whose directorial credits include Friday Night Lights, Lone Survivor and Patriots Day, combined footage of boxing and the Cuban Revolution, creating a montage that points to how inseparable they are.

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro, on the right, poses with Teofilo Stevenson, Sven Creutzmann/Mambo Photo/Getty Images

Tanks pass through the streets of Old Havana; young boxers running in gym, troops coming ashore, rifles held high above their heads, a Cuban boxer kissing the gold medal he won in a foreign land and Castro greeting him at the airport upon his return.

This was within a short period of a month, shortly after the ouster of the American-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959 and before the fiasco in 1961. Then came the Cuban Missile Crisis and the breakdown of diplomatic relations between the island nation and Uncle Sam. Footage of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev's rapturous reception upon his arrival in Cuba is a reminder of how hot the Cold War was, and how sport was often a battlefield.

Thanks to significant support from the Soviet Union, Cuba continued to produce high-quality boxers regardless of the political climate and the American embargo. Chief among them was Stevenson, a handsome, 6-foot-5 heavyweight with power in his right hand. He was perfect figure to realize Castro's goal of turning Cuba into an invincible sports power.

Teofilo Stevenson right-handedly attacking John Tate of the United States in the quarter-finals of the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where Stevenson won his second gold. Bob Olsen/Toronto Star/Getty Images

Those who did not recognize the amazing power in Stevenson's right hand were deceived. Teofilo easily dealt with the American Olympic hopes Duane Bobek, Tyrell Biggs and John Tate.

Unlike Joe Frazier's crushing finisher, Stevenson's knockout was as accurate as an archer's shot. More often than not, he needed a single blow. Those he knocked out to win three Olympic gold medals (1972, 1976, 1980) knew about Stevenson's crushing right but couldn't do anything about it.

Stevenson and Castro were a rather strange couple. Fidel was El Capitan, bearded and armed firearms the leader of the Cuban revolution, a mesmerizing extrovert with messianic tendencies. Teofilo was El Gran Campeon, humble person, born into a poor family in Puerto Padre. He had a kind appearance and struck down his enemies without hatred in his heart.

“We all compared ourselves to him,” Hernandez says. "I wanted to be like Teofilo Stevenson."

"He was a blood brother for all Cubans," Correa Sr. echoes him.

One of the main strengths"The People's Fighter" - telling the story from a Cuban point of view. The narration is smooth and informative, but not presumptuous. The opinions of people on earth who are the real stars of the film.

The United States thought that Cuba's relationship with the Soviet Union was a threat, but it seemed that the Cubans were desperate for the simple things.

"The Soviets gave us a hand and respected the sovereignty of Cuba," said journalist Rudens Temba. " Soviet Union was best friend Cuba in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. His economic support allowed the country to survive.”

Teofilo Stevenson on the right and, Mohammed Aliv hall Roberto Baladov Havana, Cuba. The fight between the two boxing idols did not take place. Sven Creutzmann/Mambo Photo/Getty Images

The film also offers different perspectives on the failed match between Stevenson and Muhammad Ali. It was a hot topic after Cuba's success at the 1976 Olympics, but never ended.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Cuba's economic pipeline was cut off and the country plunged into what they call a "special period" depression. This was the situation that eventually led many of the best boxers Cubans left their homeland to seek political asylum and become professionals. Some went to Europe, but most came to the US, where they settled.

Stevenson died in 2012 of a heart attack at the age of 60, a beloved hero of the people revered both for his feats in the ring and for his refusal to accept the promises of capitalism. His successor in boxing, Felix Savon, also won three Olympic gold medals and chose to stay in Cuba, turning down lucrative offers to fight Mike Tyson.

“Sometimes it’s hard for someone to understand that back then we were all fighting for beliefs in revolutionary principles,” says two-time Olympic silver medalist Juan Hernandez Sierra. "We had high ideas."

Today's ideas, personified by Julio Cesar La Cruz, are different.

“Personally, my role models are boxers who, for one reason or another, are not in Cuba,” says La Cruz, a light heavyweight gold winner at the 2016 Rio Olympics. “In those days we competed for honor, for our flag above the rest. These days people think differently, and of course they understand that making money is good.”

Money remains a problem for the old champions on the beach. Once they were the best at what they did, now they are struggling to survive on an inadequate monthly stipend.

"It doesn't cover the cost of living," Martinez says.

“It's not enough, but without it we'd be beggars,” Gomez says.

The Lara cars (produced in pre-revolution Cuba in the 1950s) that the government gave them look decrepit.

"From the bottom of my heart, I can say that I love my car because it's a good car," Gomez said. "But she's old, she can't work anymore."

The houses they received are also in disrepair, one of them had a dilapidated roof that recently collapsed.

“We don't criticize the revolution,” Martinez says. "We love and defend the revolution, but there are certain things that could have been done differently."

The closing shots of the documentary show footage from the past about these old boxers and what they looked like back then. For a few moments, they were those folk fighters again. And then it was time to leave.

As they turn their backs to the camera and walk away embracing, the thought comes to mind that some of them we will never see again.

One of the greatest amateur boxers in world history, Teofilo Stevenson, died suddenly at the age of 60 in Havana on Monday evening. triple Olympic champion, who was called the most beloved athlete of Fidel Castro, died at home from a heart attack.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, the undefeated Stevenson, who competed in the most prestigious, heavy amateur boxing category (over 81 kilograms), was considered perhaps the most popular boxer in the world. In addition to him, only the legendary Hungarian Laszlo Papp and the Cuban Felix Savon, who became Stevenson's successor in heavy weight, have the titles of three-time Olympic boxing champions.

He was born in Puerto Padre, Cuba, to an immigrant father, Teofilo Stevenson Patterson, from St. Vincent, and mother, Dolores Lawrence, from St. Kitts, who settled on the island in the 1920s. Teofilo Stevenson Jr. was a late child, but from childhood he was distinguished by outstanding physical data. The first sports lessons were given to him by his father, who himself had 7 fights in the ring, but left boxing, disappointed in the corrupt system of paying athletes in the then pre-revolutionary Cuba. Stevenson Jr. began his professional career in 1969. A great merit in the formation of Stevenson belongs to the Soviet specialist A. Chervonenko, who brought the Cuban boxers into the category of the strongest in the world.

The world started talking about the textured and overall Cuban when he convincingly defeated the main hope of the American boxing team, Duanne Bobik, in the final fight of the 1972 Munich Olympics. For that bright achievement Stevenson is among top athletes socialist countries was awarded the title of "Honored Master of Sports of the USSR". This was followed by victories one more beautiful than the other: at the World Championships in Havana in 1974 in a fight with another outstanding athlete - the American Marvin Stinson, the titles of the Olympic champion in Montreal in 1976, the world champion in Belgrade in 1978, and finally, the third title of the winner of the Olympics , in Moscow in 1980.

Stevenson ended his career as brightly as he began, retiring from the ring after winning the World Championships in Reno in 1986. During his career, he spent 332 fights, in 310 of which he won. He suffered two defeats in the 1970s from the Soviet boxer Igor Vysotsky, whose talent he highly appreciated.

Stevenson will be remembered as a great patriot of his homeland, who was acutely worried about the flight of his wards to the West. The Americans promised mountains of gold to Stevenson himself, but he refused to turn professional and go to train abroad. So, for a fight with the best professional boxer Mohammed Ali Stevenson, they offered a crazy fee of $ 5 million for those times. But he refused.

Stevenson, who was included in the list of the five most prominent figures Latin America XX century, the famous phrase belongs: "I will not change the love of 10 million Cubans for a million dollars."

For whom does the boxing gong ring?

Nikolai Dolgopolov

Teofilo Stevenson stuck in my mind for a silent article. A handsome man is a guy whose sculpture would be sculpted by Rodin. Then this dark-skinned giant was majestically built.

I first saw him back in Montreal in 1976. In all the then great Cuban sport, there was no man more laconic than Stevenson. North American journalists pressed on him, asked questions, and he gave concise answers through an interpreter. Their meaning was that he would not exchange his Motherland - "patria" Cuba for anything.

And then we even competed together. Fortunately, not in the ring. At the World Festival of Youth and Students in Havana, a symbolic festival mile was run. There was the great Cuban Olympic champion Juantorena, and Stevenson, who puffed along the distance like the rest of us, and other sports celebrities from dozens of countries. Certificates were waiting for all of us at the finish line, we shook hands, and then we talked with Fidel Castro.

In Moscow, during the last Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, we met with Stevenson. Translated by a Cuban journalist who knew Theo well. And then Stevenson, without undue sentimentality, said that he would never exchange Cuba for professional boxing with his millions. There was a lot of talk at the time that Stevenson was the only heavyweight in the world who could beat Muhammad Ali. Stevenson, on the other hand, showed complete indifference to this topic. Much more and more willingly, he talked about Igor Vysotsky. He, a nice guy, but not as popularly famous as Stevenson, managed twice, if my memory serves me, to defeat the Cuban. The interview revolved around this.

I got the impression that Stevenson was already going through these 1980s. Yes, he remained faithful to the Motherland. But he was capable of doing so much more. I think that and become a champion among the pros. But it would be worth it to give him permission to fight in the pros, and other compatriots would have entered this path. And the time has not yet come for this. Alas, his colleagues in the ring, longing for recognition, fled the island. However, none of them achieved Stevenson's laurels.

Our comrade, Ukrainian communist journalist Andrei Manchuk, met with the legendary boxer in Cuba in 2007.

We bring to your attention his article on Stevenson,

Ali from Liberty Island

Teofilo Stevenson is not just on the list of the most prominent boxing masters of all time. "It's really great boxer and man. How lucky you are to see him!" - told me our sportswriter, a great dock in the theory and practice of boxing. At the same time, the personal biography of the 55-year-old Teofilo is very atypical for modern, through and through commercialized boxing, where frank rogue promoters rule the show.

“Why do I need ten million dollars if I have the love of eleven million Cubans?” Stephenson rhetorically asked American managers when he was once again offered to become a "professional" and move to the United States.

Being in Cuba, we were convinced of how great this love is, which has managed to endure the test of time. A two-meter dark-skinned Cuban in a white cap and a white T-shirt with Che Guevara's porter caused real delight among his compatriots - although he communicated with them easily, without stellar arrogance. And in the rooms of local boys still hang big photos young Theo, captured in the boxing ring, where he entered countless times.

Like many Cuban boxers, Stevenson started with the most popular game in the Caribbean country - baseball, to which he devoted his childhood. Practicing this game allowed him to develop a reaction and strengthen his hand muscles, which was very useful later in the boxing ring. Combining the traditionally aggressive Cuban style and the high technology of the Soviet school, he, at the same time, paid great attention"psychology" of each match, accurately determining the game mood of the opponents.

Knockout from an intellectual

Teofilo loved the short story “The Mexican” from childhood, a famous short story by Jack London. His hero, a poor Hispanic boy, takes on an unequal battle against an adult rival and corrupt judges in order to win money for the cause of the Mexican Revolution. Stevenson's fights often also had political overtones, such as his victories over a string of fair-skinned boxers collectively known as the "White Hope" who were bet on by racist populist politicians.

- I have always fought not for myself, but for the whole country. And this gave me an advantage over my rivals, many of whom thought only about their income and fees, - the three-time world champion and three-time Olympic champion says today. He still does not hide his negative attitude towards professional boxing:

- I know what professional boxing is, and I know that there is nothing to win there. The money that you won can be lost in a few seconds, while greatly damaging your health. There are fighting poor people who simply have nowhere to go. They never went to school, therefore, without education, they are not able to save the money they have earned. Everything as it came, so it will go.

Stevenson himself, the son of a porter from a small town in eastern Cuba, managed to get higher education, combining it with sports career. Hence his image of an "intellectual boxer", as well as knowledge of the Russian language, instilled by Andrei Chervonenko, legendary coach With Ukrainian roots. Teofilo, not without reason, calls him his "second father". During his last visit to Russia, Stevenson asked to take his entire team to Chervonenko's grave. Night fell, but the Cubans did not calm down until they found her in a remote cemetery near Moscow. Teofilo did not want to leave without saying goodbye to his beloved teacher.

This great boxer even today sympathizes with the post-Soviet boxing school related to him. He told us that he is closely watching the careers of the Klitschko brothers and other Ukrainian fighters. According to the old champion, they have considerable prospects in front of them in the world ring.

Fidel's bodyguard

Having finished his career, Stevenson does not part with his favorite sport and still enjoys great prestige in the boxing world. Today, he has already been appointed chief referee of the boxing tournament at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. This was not even prevented by the scandal with the criminal case brought against Teofilo by the American authorities after he knocked out several people at the Miami airport. Even the policemen were among the victims. According to Stevenson - by the way, having a reputation as a very balanced boxer - he was provoked by "dirty remarks about the Cuban people, the Cuban revolution and Fidel Castro." A medical examination confirmed that at the time of the incident, Stevenson was, as usual, completely sober. After leaving prison on bail, he left the United States forever, where an indefinite warrant was issued for his arrest.

By the way, Teofilo Stevenson is stubbornly credited with the career of Fidel's personal bodyguard, but he has always shied away from recognizing this fact - although he does not deny his good relations with the Cuban leader.

The outstanding achievements of the Cuban champion are recognized even by his opponents. According to recent polls, he was included in the symbolic five prominent figures in Latin America. But this news hardly impressed the old boxer, whose best reward is the cheers of his compatriots on the streets of Havana.

"Killer" with an invisible strike

Igor Smaga

Stevenson in the ring was a real "legal" killer. Brilliant technique, amazing speed for such a huge guy ... His right hand became a legend: “I had two hundred fights, but no one had ever hit me so hard. It is impossible to see his blow, ”the German Huster once said about him, barely moving away after the knockout. "Everyone looks at my right hand Stevenson explained the secret. But it does all the main work left hand“She crushes her opponent.”

Interestingly, as a child, Theo wanted to become a basketball player, since his height was good (193 cm), but after Castro's ban professional sports went into boxing. “I lost 14 of my first 20 fights! - the Cuban admits. “I hated being beaten. And I made a promise to myself never to lose again.”

For the first time, Stevenson flashed at the 72 Olympics in Munich, where he received a prize as a boxer with the best technique, after which the whole world started talking about him. After the second Olympic "gold", promoters Bob Arum and Don King made him an offer to fight Muhammad Ali for $ 5 million, which Stevenson indignantly refused. By the way, he and Ali were friends and both fiercely criticized the United States. And they are similar not only in appearance, but also as boxers - light on their feet, they prefer direct punches. Some of Teofilo's style comes from the pure Cuban style of brilliant pro Kid Chocolit.

At the 76 Olympics in Montreal, Stevenson knocked out three opponents in less than 8 minutes in total. The last opponent, Romanian finalist Simion, was knocked out only in the 3rd round. The boxer, who held out against Stevenson until the end of the fight, jumped for happiness, although he lost ...

Due to the boycott of the 1984 Olympics by Cuba and the USSR, Stevenson did not go there, although many are sure that he would have won gold there again. Becoming once again the world champion in 1986, Theo left the sport.

In terms of achievements, Stevenson is equal only to the "three-time" Cuban Felix Savon and the Hungarian Laszlo Papp. Even Ali, who never even thought about his defeat, said that between him and Stevenson there would be ... a draw.

Source http://kermanich.livejournal.com/30520.html