Cuban heavyweight boxer Olympic champion. Teofilo stevenson - folk fighter

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 performed in the most prestigious, heavy category of amateur boxing (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 this striking 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 battle with another an outstanding athlete- American Marvin Stinson, Olympic champion titles in Montreal in 1976, world champion in Belgrade in 1978, 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 in Latin America of the twentieth century, is famous for the phrase: "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 also the great Cuban Olympic champion Juantorena, and Stevenson, who puffed at 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 its 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.

Olympic champion and bodyguard of Fidel Castro. Stevenson's life story

On March 29, the legendary Cuban boxer Teofilo Stevenson could have turned 65 years old. We recall the life and sports path of a fighter.

March 29 would have been the 65th birthday of the legendary Cuban heavyweight boxer, three-time Olympic champion Teofilo Stevenson, who is not without reason considered the greatest fighter in the history of world amateur boxing.

Despite the fact that besides him, two more amateur boxers managed to become three-time Olympic champions - the Hungarian Laszlo Papp and another Cuban Felix Savon, it is Stevenson who has the most legendary status. Probably due to the fact that, as in professional boxing, the “royal”, heavyweight category, in which Teofilo performed, enjoys the greatest attention of the public. Undoubtedly, not only Stevenson's achievements, but also his appearance and vibrant charisma. The tall, stately, broad-shouldered hero attracted the visual attention of the boxing public as soon as he appeared in the hall and headed for the ring.

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Teofilo Stevenson Lawrence (302 wins, 22 losses)

Achievements: legendary Cuban amateur boxer. Three-time Olympic champion (1972, 1976 and 1980) in heavy weight, three-time world champion (1974, 1978 and 1986) in heavy weight, national hero of Cuba, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1972).

Also, the fame of the three-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion was brought by his principled consistent position in relation to the transition to professional boxing. The most powerful American promoters (including Don King and Bob Arum) called Stevenson to the pro ring after almost every international triumph. Promising him a lot of money, boxing bigwigs over the years offered Teofilo meetings with the then reigning heavyweight world champions - Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Larry Holmes, but each time they were refused by him.

The quintessence of the answers to these numerous persuasions was the famous phrase dropped by Stevenson in an interview of that time: “I would not exchange five million dollars for the love of eight million Cubans!”. The great Teofilo, until the end of his life, remained faithful to the cause of the Cuban revolution and devoted to Comandante Fidel Castro, who, in turn, treated him like a son.

Teofilo Stevenson Lawrence was born on March 29, 1952 in the small town of Puerto Padre in the province of Las Tunas, which is located in the eastern part of Cuba. His parents were English-speaking immigrants. His father, Teofilo Stevenson Parsons, moved to Cuba from the volcanic Caribbean island of St. Vincent in 1923, and his mother, Dolores Lawrence, was the daughter of immigrants from the island of St. Kitts. The father had large dimensions and tried his hand at boxing, but after seven fights he did not go into the ring again due to the cunning and deceit of local managers and promoters. However, he nevertheless took his son to the boxing gym. At first, the fact of boxing Teofilo Jr. was hiding from his mother. And when Dolores found out about them, she was furious, but, having cooled down, she allowed her son to train under the strict supervision of his father.

Outstanding physical data and undoubted boxing talent attracted the attention of Teofilo, the former heavyweight champion of Cuba in 1931-1935, John Herrera, who became the boy's first coach. But at first, Stevenson did not fully devote himself to training, because he was not convinced that boxing would become the main thing in his life. Teofilo was still thinking about dedicating himself to Cuba's number one sport, which is baseball. His first official fight, held in October 1966, Stevenson lost on points to an opponent named Luis Enriquez. Then our hero was 14 years old and weighed 71 kilograms. And in general, at first, Teofilo lost more often than he won.

Shortly after Fidel Castro came to power, professional boxing was banned in Cuba. On March 19, 1962, a decree was issued according to which professional sports in all its manifestations were prohibited on the island. And two years later, in 1964, experienced and well-known specialists from the USSR, Evgeny Ogurenkov, Andrey Chervonenko and Vasily Romanov, arrived on Liberty Island as a kind of international assistance to the sport of the new socialist state, which was just getting on its feet, who were supposed to contribute to the intensive development boxing in this distant but friendly country. It was the coach Chervonenko who was destined to become the boxing godfather for Teofilo. Together with the future patriarch of Cuban boxing, the long-term main mentor of the national team, and then still a young aspiring local coach, Alcides Sagarra Chervonenko, he set about cutting Stevenson's unique talent.

Stevenson made a splash at the senior level by knocking out the representative of Cuba at Olympic Games 1968 in Mexico heavyweight Nancio Carrillo.

Having begun to give himself completely to purposeful work in the training hall, our hero very quickly felt how his incredible potential was revealed. The first significant success of Teofilo was the victory at the junior national championship in 1968, where he already competed in the weight category over 81 kg. And in early 1970, 17-year-old Stevenson made a splash at the adult level, knocking out heavyweight Nancio Carrillo, who represented Cuba at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. In September of the same year, Teofilo conquered gold medal on their first international competitions- Championship of Central America and the Caribbean.

Nevertheless, at this stage in his career, the inexperienced Stevenson was still relatively often defeated in international tournaments. So, at the 1971 Pan American Games, he lost to US heavyweight Dwayne Bobik, whom American journalists then called the new “great white hope”. But these local failures have become the necessary useful experience. They helped to point out mistakes and indicate directions for further work to improve his skills. Chervonenko persistently instilled in Teofilo the classic Soviet style of boxing, which consisted of actively moving around the ring and working with repeated destructive deuces from a long distance, which began with a polished long and hard jab.

At the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Stevenson showed himself to be a fully formed, almost flawless fighter who won early victories over all his rivals. In particular, in the 1/4 finals, Teofilo got even with Bobik, defeating him technical knockout in the 3rd round, and the opponent in the final - Romanian Ion Alexe - chose not to enter the ring at all. As a result of the tournament, in addition to the gold medal, Stevenson also won the Vel Barker Cup - a prize awarded to the best boxer of the Olympic tournament, regardless of weight class. Immediately after that, our hero received an offer from the United States to fight the current world heavyweight champion Joe Frazier.

A fly in the ointment in Stevenson's brilliant career of that period were only two defeats from a very tough, persistent and fearless Soviet heavyweight Igor Vysotsky, who first defeated Teofilo on points in 1973 in front of Fidel Castro himself in Cuba, and then, in 1976 in Minsk, and completely stopped the Cuban ahead of schedule.

Stevenson's fee was supposed to be a gigantic two million dollars at that time, and the fight itself would have taken place in Florida. Thus, in one evening, Teofilo had a chance to become the world champion in pro boxing. But the Cuban refused this offer, saying that he remained devoted to the cause of the revolution and preferred to return to his homeland to devote himself to amateur boxing and university studies in engineering.

Stevenson returned to Cuba already in the status of a national hero, whom the people literally carried in their arms. In 1974, Havana hosted the first world championship in the history of amateur boxing, and Teofilo, who was the captain of the national team, could not lose face in front of the eyes of his native public. Stevenson easily confirmed the status of the favorite, having won a convincing victory on points over the American Marvin Stinson in the final. In 1975, Teofilo was waiting for a triumph at the Pan American Games, where he defeated another American - the future world pro champion Michael Dokes.

A fly in the ointment in Stevenson's brilliant career of that period were only two defeats from a very tough, persistent and fearless Soviet heavyweight Igor Vysotsky, who first defeated Teofilo on points in 1973 in front of Fidel Castro himself in Cuba, and then, in 1976 in Minsk, and completely stopped the Cuban ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, these fighters did not have a chance to meet at the Olympics and World Championships, since the coaches of the Soviet national team preferred not to take Vysotsky to the largest international tournaments due to the increased vulnerability and bleeding of the eyebrows.

At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, 24-year-old Stevenson again won early victories over all his rivals. In particular, in the semi-finals, he knocked out the future world champion pro American John Tate in the first three minutes, and in the final in three incomplete rounds he dealt with the Romanian Mircea Simon.

Everyone was greatly impressed by the level of skill of Stevenson, who was at the peak of his abilities. “This is the most perfectly balanced fighter I have ever seen,” said then-famous trainer Emmanuel Steward. “It would be great to see him as a pro,” said promoter Don King. "He's in the same class as Ali, Foreman and Frazier." Teofilo had everything to become a great pro - size, technique, power, combat intelligence, character. In addition, he was tall, athletic and handsome. The fact that he was fluent in both Spanish and English would have contributed to his easy promotion in the States, since his parents were from former British colonies.

Stevenson and Ali had to fight a series of five bouts of three rounds each in different US cities, and independent international referees were to serve them. As a result, neither AIBA, nor the WBC, nor Don King agreed to this proposal, and the dreams of seeing Stevenson and Ali in the same ring remained dreams.

Don King managed to convince Mohammed Ali, and also to get the approval of WBC officials to hold this fight. It was up to Fidel Castro. But in 1977, at the annual AIBA convention, the Cuban Boxing Federation announced its conditions: Stevenson and Ali had to fight a series of five fights of three rounds each in different US cities, and independent international referees were to serve them. As a result, neither AIBA, nor the WBC, nor Don King agreed to this proposal, and the dreams of seeing Stevenson and Ali in the same ring remained dreams.

In 1978, Teofilo became the winner of the World Championship in Belgrade, defeating, in particular, the next future world pro champion from the USA, Tony Tubbs, in the 1/4 finals. After that, Don King made one last attempt to organize the "Fight of the Century" between Stevenson and Ali. It was then that Teofilo uttered the famous phrase that he would not exchange the five million dollars promised to him for the love of the Cuban people. Ali, on the other hand, flatly refused to hold a five-match series of three-round fights, which the Cuban federation insisted on.

At the 1980 Moscow Games, Stevenson won his third Olympic gold medal. Despite the fact that Teofilo's boxing was no longer as bright and sparkling as in Munich and Montreal, he became the winner of the tournament quite confidently and fully deserved. In the final, he defeated the Soviet fighter Pyotr Zaev on points with a score of 4: 1, who, although he was very much inferior to the famous Cuban in height and arm span, looked decent in the ring. In 1982, there was the only misfire in Stevenson's career at major international tournaments. At the World Championships in Munich, already in his first fight, at the 1/4 final stage, he lost on points with a score of 0: 5 to the future world champion in pros, Italian Francesco Damiani. The latter adopted the tactics of Igor Vysotsky, imposing a hard cutting on close range and succeeded in this, having withstood all the oncoming powerful signature counterattacks of the Cuban.

1983 is the last attempt to organize the fight between Stevenson and reigning champion world in pro. This time negotiations were underway for a duel with the long-playing world title holder American Larry Holmes. It even came down to specifics, the parties discussed the rules of the fight - either three or four rounds. But at that time, this idea did not burn out. In 1984, Teofilo was unable to perform at the Los Angeles Olympics, since the vast majority of the countries of the so-called socialist camp (of course, including Cuba) boycotted these Games in response to the Western world's boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. The 1986 World Championship in Reno was the last major international tournament that Stevenson won. In the semi-finals, Teofilo defeated the famous Soviet heavyweight Vyacheslav Yakovlev on points, and in the final he stopped American Alex Garcia ahead of schedule.

Teofilo considered returning to the ring to participate in the 1988 Olympics in South Korea. But when it turned out that because of solidarity with North Korea, which had declared a boycott of these Games, Cuba also decided not to send its athletes to Seoul.

This fight was the last in Stevenson's legendary career, which has 302 wins and 22 losses. However, Teofilo considered returning to the ring in order to participate in the 1988 Olympics in South Korea. But when it turned out that because of solidarity with North Korea, which had declared a boycott of the Games, Cuba also decided not to send its athletes to Seoul, Stevenson's plans never materialized. Hanging gloves on a nail, Teofilo did not move away from boxing. Over the years, he was a member of the coaching board of the national team of his country, vice-president of the Cuban Boxing Federation, and also worked at the National Institute of Sports and Physical Education of Havana.

At one time he was the honorary bodyguard of Fidel Castro himself. As a symbol of the power and strength of the Cuban revolution, Stevenson was favored by the highest political leadership. Comandante Fidel gave him a two-story mansion and two expensive cars, which is an incredible luxury for Cuban society. It is curious that in 1972, as an exception, Teofilo was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, and in 1987 he was awarded the Olympic Order of the International Olympic Committee.

At one time he was the honorary bodyguard of Fidel Castro himself. As a symbol of the power and strength of the Cuban revolution, Stevenson was favored by the highest political leadership.

In 1999, Stevenson had an unpleasant excess in the United States. Teofilo, who was accompanying the Cuban national team, was returning home when one of the employees of the Miami airport spoke dirtyly to his face about Fidel Castro and his political regime. The boxer could not endure this and after a second the opponent was left without front teeth. Stevenson was arrested by the American police, but was soon released on bail of 12.5 thousand dollars and flew home.

The Cuban Foreign Ministry promptly issued a statement that it was a provocation specially prepared in advance by the "Mafia of Miami" in order to discredit the name of the great Cuban athlete. After that, of course, Teofilo never again appeared on American soil until the end of his life. On June 11, 2012, Cuban state media reported that "Cuban sport family extremely saddened by the sudden death due to a heart attack of the legendary athlete Teofilo Stevenson."

Teofilo Lorenzo Stevenson was born on March 29, 1952. in the town of Puerto Padre, in the Cuban province of Las Tunas. His father, Teofilo Stevenson Parsons, emigrated to Cuba in the 1920s. Arriving from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, he began by working on sugar cane plantations. Teofilo's mother was also an immigrant, but from another Caribbean island state - St. Kitts. Since Stevenson's parents came from the islands that were under the protectorate of Great Britain, English was their native language. Thanks to this, their son Teofilo, from childhood, is fluent not only in Spanish, but also in English.

Stevenson's childhood went hand in hand with baseball. It is the number one sport in Cuba. Thanks to baseball, the boy acquired an athletic build, good arm strength and excellent reaction. Perhaps Stevenson would have become a baseball player, but his father was engaged in boxing and even performed in his youth. Trying to earn some money, Stevenson Sr. changed many professions, including trying himself in boxing, but without much success. Little Teofilo, his father took with him to the park, located near the house, to look at the battles that took place in the old gazebo. It was the father who drew attention to the fact that Teofilo was more interested in stories about boxing and boxers.

At the beginning of 1959, supporters of Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba, who proclaimed himself "commandante" - the leader of Cuba, and a few years later, after realizing the difficulties of surviving alone in the neighborhood of the United States, it was decided to build socialism in Cuba. In 1962, Fidel Castro banned professional sports, which had previously developed quite successfully in Cuba, as bourgeois remnants, however physical education youth and the development of amateur boxing were given the closest attention.

In 1963, Alcides Saggara was appointed head coach of the Cuban boxing team. He repeatedly attended boxing seminars in Kyiv and Moscow. Sagarra, was an amazing workaholic, loved and knew how to learn. He even graduated from the Kyiv Institute physical education and defended his PhD thesis. But his enthusiasm was not enough, so they were invited to Cuba foreign experts. With the participation of the German professor Kurt Rosenthal, Soviet coaches, Evgeny Ogurenkov, Andrey Chervonenko and Vasily Romanov, the famous Cuban boxing school was created.

Arriving in Cuba, Andrei Chervonenko immediately draws attention to the wonderful "material" in the form of young, athletic, plastic and motivated Cuban guys. To prepare for the Olympic Games, two groups are formed, one of which is headed by Chervonenko. Three years before the 20th Olympic Games in Munich, Andrei Chervonenko invites the young Teofilo Stevenson to join his group.

Stevenson did not immediately become what all boxing fans know him to be. Not only natural data helped him become the most titled amateur boxer in the world, but also hard work and self-giving. In 1970 Stevenson finished second in the national Cordova Cardin tournament. In the final, Teofilo lost to a boxer from the GDR, Berndt Anders. In September 1970, he won the Central American and Caribbean Heavyweight Championship among juniors. In October 1970, Stevenson won the 6th international friendly tournament of the Soviet bloc countries, which was held in the Bulgarian city of Vidin. In the final, he went to the Soviet boxer Vladimir Saprykin, whom he knocked out in the first round.

In 1971 at the Pan American Games, Stevenson, in the final, concedes first place to an American, Dwayne Bobik. This subsequently gives reason to American boxing functionaries to consider Bobik as a new "white" hope. Despite the fact that many sports officials and coaches did not consider Duane worthy to take part in the Olympic Games, he was still included in the national team. In the meantime, work under the leadership of Andrei Kondratievich Chervonenko, progressively, made an indestructible dark-skinned team out of the Cuban national team. In April 1972, the Cubans won a friendly against Czechoslovakia. In the final, Teofilo knocked out Jozsef Motyl in the second round.

The first high-profile success came to Stevenson in 1972, at the Munich Olympics. Teofilo Stevenson, finished ahead of schedule all his fights. In the second round, he forced to capitulate, his recent offender - Duane Bobby. Stevenson sent Bobby to the canvas several times until the referee stopped the beating. The Americans, of course, were shocked. This and many other Stevenson fights had clear political overtones. Poor black man from Cuba declassified America's "great white hope". The Americans considered heavy weight to be exclusively their category. In 1964, Joe Frazier won the heavyweight title.

In 1968 - George Foreman, knocking out all his opponents. They hoped for Bobik, but he failed to repeat the success of his fellow countrymen. The era of Stevenson has arrived. In the semi-final, Stevenson knocked out the rather dangerous German Peter Hussing in the second round, which, in fact, became the final. Having reached the final, the Cuban did not have to fight. His opponent, Romanian Ion Alexa, did not come out for the fight, citing an injury. To top it off, Stevenson was awarded the Val Barker Cup as the most technical boxer in the Olympics.

In 1973, Soviet boxers arrived at the Cordova Cardin tournament, which was held in Havana. In the final, Stevenson fought the USSR youth champion, 17-year-old Igor Vysotsky. Vysotsky was not timid in front of the eminent Cuban ... .. and won. Vysotsky later, went even further, and already in the final International Tournament in Minsk, in April 1976, knocked out Stevenson. He became famous throughout the world as a man who twice defeated Stevenson himself. There were rumors that Stevenson, after Minsk, avoided meetings with Vysotsky. But these are most likely just funny fantasies, since in life, they became close friends. Stevenson came to visit Vysotsky more than once.

At the World Championships in Havana in 1974, all doubts were dispelled: Teofilo, in the semifinals, knocked out his old friend Peter Hussing. And in the final, Stevenson met with the American Marvin Stinson, who was so afraid of the Cuban and was afraid to miss the exact blow that the fight took place in endless clinches. All judges gave the victory to Stevenson, who won his first world championship.

Stevenson starts to win wherever he takes part. February 22, 1975, Havana, Cuban Festival of Champions, first place. July 1975 Cordova Cardin, first place. October 1975, Mexico, Pan American Games, first place. January 1976, Playa Giron, first place.

At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Stevenson once again proved that he had no equal: on the way to the final, he defeated three opponents by knockouts, for which he spent a total of 7 minutes. 22 seconds, and in the final in the third round, the Romanian Mircea Simon knocked out. In the final of the Romanians, Mircea Simon, lasted longer than the others. In the third round, Stevenson knocked down the Romanian, and when he got up, his coach threw in the white towel, realizing that Simon was unable to continue the fight. Stevenson became a two-time Olympic champion and was happy, as well as the Romanians who did not hide their joy. Not many managed to leave the ring on their own feet after meeting with the Cuban fighting machine.

Immediately after the conquest of the second Olympic medal at the Montreal Games, Teofilo Stevenson received a secret and extremely lucrative offer from Don King himself - to flee Cuba and become a professional boxer. Ahead was an alluring future - fights in the heavyweight category with Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman. However, Teofilo responded with a public refusal: “Professional boxing treats the boxer like a commodity that can be bought, sold or thrown away when it becomes unusable. I would never trade the love of millions of Cubans for millions of dollars…”

At the beginning of 1978, Teofilo once again won the Playa Giron National Championship. And already in May of the same year, Stevenson became the winner at the World Championships in Belgrade. In addition, in 1978, the Cubans held two friendly matches with the US team. In January in Havana, and in October in New York. Both meetings ended with the same score 16:6 in favor of the Cubans. Stevenson naturally won in his weight.

In 1980 the Olympic Games were held in the USSR. Stevenson again looked brilliant: in the final, he defeated Soviet heavyweight Pyotr Zaev on points and won a third Olympic gold medal (in the semi-final, Teofilo won on points from the Hungarian Istvan Levai, who jumped for joy after the final gong, despite the defeat - he managed to survive three rounds against Stevenson himself!).

Stevenson could well have become a four-time Olympic champion. This was predicted by most sports experts. Four months before the Olympics, in February 1984, Teofilo defeated the American Tyrell Bigs, during a friendly match between Cuba and the United States. Already in July of the same year, Bigs became the Olympic champion in heavyweight champion(this category, 91+, first appeared at the Los Angeles Olympics). By the way, in the quarterfinals, Tyrell Bigs, with a dry score of 5:0, defeated Lennox Lewis. At the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, politics intervened again - this time there was a retaliatory boycott: all socialist countries (except China and Romania) ignored the Olympics.

Stevenson still managed to once again become the world champion in 1986, but he didn’t go to the 1988 Olympics in Seoul - he left the sport.

During his sports career, Stevenson fought 324 matches, won 302 and lost 22. In 1972, he was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR.

Cuban boxer Teofilo Stevenson is quite famous in the sports field. He achieved worldwide fame thanks only to his desire to be the best among the best. Until the age of 9, Teofilo Stevenson, whose fights can be called one of the most colorful in boxing, was an ordinary guy who spent his free time without much use. But that's when everything changed. Teofilo Stevenson, whose biography will be given in the article, got into sports school, in which his father had also worked for some time. This is how the story began famous boxer.

Biography of Teofilo Stevenson Lawrence

The boxer was born into an ordinary working-class family in Power Padre (Cuba). The athlete is known for his achievements in the Olympic Games, where he won three gold medals. No one else in the boxing world has seen such achievements before or after.

Teofilo Stevenson family

His father was an immigrant who moved to Cuba in 1923. For a long time he was interrupted by intermittent earnings, one of which was tutoring in English. Having large dimensions, the father was respected among his entourage. Once he was invited to boxing classes, where he spent seven fights. After the last of them, Stevenson Sr. gave up training. According to him, the reason was high level corruption in the sports industry. And it was no accident. Dirty business was at that time inherent in sports clubs.

Teofilo's mother was a native Cuban, born and raised in Powero Padre. Being a woman of character, she had considerable authority in the family. Sometimes even Father Teofilo tried to avoid clashes with her. The athlete himself in his youth for some time hid his passion for boxing, as his mother was against practicing this sport.

Athlete's childhood

Teofilo Stevenson was not known for his special talents in his youth. Being a lazy teenager, he was just killing his time until he got into the boxing section at the age of 9. The hall in which he studied was the same that his father had previously visited. The father was aware of his son's hobby, but helped him hide it from his mother. Finally, when the time came, he himself volunteered to inform his wife, which he regretted very much, since she was simply furious. But in the end, she still gave the go-ahead for training.

Teofilo's first coach was former champion Cuba John Herrera. He saw in young man much more potential than in his father. Therefore, he paid special attention to training with the young Stevenson. And they were not in vain. As a teenager, Teofilo won several fights against opponents who were superior in strength, speed and years of training. The best boxers have come across a guy who achieved such achievements only thanks to desire and an experienced mentor. And this clash ended in defeat for them.

So it came to victory in junior competitions, where the fighter won the cup, after which he went to take courses in Havana.

Boxing. Teofilo Stevenson

While studying in Havana, Teofilo met Andrei Chervonenko, who had specially arrived from Moscow to improve the boxing school in Cuba. Due to the decree of 1962, boxing was prohibited on the island, and in order to fight, it was necessary to obtain appropriate permission from the administration. Chervonenko, on the other hand, organized a real boxing school from a dilapidated haven of fans of waving their hands.

With a new coach, Teofilo's boxing classes have received new level, which allowed him to participate in more serious battles. However, at the first of them, the young boxer failed. He was defeated by Gabriel Garcia - the famous heavyweight of the time. But this only encouraged Teofilo, pushing him to even more hard training. And the time was well spent. Following the defeat, the boxer won two victories in a row over Perez and Carrilo. These fighters were considered the best and surpassed Teofilo in many ways. However, this did not stop the young capable fighter from sending them to the ring. The best boxers in the world - that's who the famous boxer had to enter the ring face to face with.

Central American Championship

Victories over Perez and Carrilo allowed Teofilo to take his place in the Cuban national team and go to the championship held in Central America. There, the boxer won one fight after another until he was defeated in the final. However, this has established him as best fighter Cuba, where Teofilo was greeted with honors by fellow countrymen upon his return. Returning, the athlete continued his training. In addition to Chervonenko, Stevenson has a second coach. It was Alcides Saggaro - an experienced Cuban boxer.

In constant training, Teofilo was able to deliver a crushing jab, which became his crown in a number of fights. After the Central American Championship, Teofilo enters the ring in Berlin, where Bern Andern came out against him. The fight went quickly and without significant damage to the Cuban athlete. He easily coped with the German fighter, for enough a short time putting him in the ring.

Munich Olympic Games

When Teofilo was 20 years old, he and his team went to Munich, where the Olympics were held. The first fight fell to the Cuban with the Pole Denderis and did not take even a minute. Laying the enemy on the shoulder blades, Teofilo went to next stage. Here everything turned out to be much more complicated. This fight turned out to be the most memorable in the history of the boxer, as he had to show what he was capable of for three whole rounds. His opponent - American Dwayne Bobik - probed the defense of the Cuban as best he could. But in the third round, Teofilo literally began to smash the enemy around the ring. After the third fall of the American on the ropes, the judges declared Teofilo the winner.

In the semifinal fight against the Cuban boxer, the German Peter Hassing came out. The fight ended very quickly in favor of Teofilo. The final fight was the shortest in the entire Munich Olympics. It simply did not take place for the reason that Teofilo's opponent could not enter the ring due to injury.

The Cuban national team has never brought home so many awards at one time. It was three and one silver. There was also Boxers of Cuba rightfully deserved respect for themselves as professional fighters, and they were no longer treated with disdain, as they used to be.

Winning the World Championship and refusing to fight Muhammad Ali

In 1974, Stevenson again received gold, after which the medal was awarded to him already at the Olympic Games held in Montreal. By 1976, Stevenson had three gold medals, so it's not surprising that he was offered a contract to fight Teofilo and turned down the offer, despite the fact that if he loses, he receives five million dollars. What did win promise him? However Cuban fighter He argued that respect was more important to him than money.

Olympics in Moscow

In 1980, Stevenson went to the Moscow Olympic Games, where he defeated his opponents. This is the third Olympiad, from which he emerged victorious. No one could break this record for twenty years, until it was repeated by a native of Cuba.

Opportunity to participate in the fourth Olympiad

Closer to the Olympics, which was to be held in Los Angeles, the Cuban trained hard. This would be the fourth Olympics where he could win, but he could not get it. The reason was another manifestation of the Cold War, which was waged between the USSR and the USA. The Soviet Union boycotted the invitation to participate in the games taking place in the United States. Being a loyal ally of the USSR, Cuba followed suit and also refused to participate.

Teofilo had every chance to win, because the winner of the final was Bigz, the former opponent of the Cuban, defeated. Many sports analysts had no doubt that Stevenson would win again in this fight.

Retirement from boxing

1988 is known for holding the next Olympics, but Cuba, succumbing to the influence of the USSR, again declared a boycott to the organizers. But this time Teofilo didn't even try to hit her. This year is known for the boxer as the year he retired from the sport.

Stevenson has only been defeated 22 times in his long career. And this is from his 302 fights. No one managed to defeat the Cuban twice, with the exception of But it cannot be said that it was easy for the Russian athlete. His image misled opponents, because Teofilo did not have the serious dimensions characteristic of boxers of that time. However, this has become a fatal mistake for many. The main feature of the Cuban boxer is willpower and craving for victory, which he developed in himself with every minute spent in the ring.

In 2012, it became known about the death of a boxer. At that time, Teofilo was 60 years old.

Stevenson Teofilo

(born in 1952)

Cuban boxer. Three-time Olympic heavyweight champion (1972, 1976, 1980). World Champion (1974, 1978, 1986). Val Barker Cup Winner the best boxer Olympic tournament (1972). Champion of the Pan American Games (1975, 1979).

After the end of the Olympic boxing tournament in Montreal in 1976, American figures professional boxing were at a loss: “How can this be? We offer Teofilo Stevenson five million dollars and life in the best and most beautiful country in the world, and he refuses! Not only does he refuse, he also publicly declares: “I, they say, will not exchange five million dollars for the love of ten million Cubans. For professional boxing, an athlete is a commodity that will be bought, sold, and after use thrown into a landfill.” Of course, an athlete, like everything else in this world, is a commodity, but what else? “Commodity is money, money is a commodity” – that is what their beloved Marx said. Of course, Fidel does not offend his best athletes and pays them good money, but it’s not millions, is it? No, this Teofilo Stevenson is obviously crazy!”

Boxing is very popular in Cuba, even the fact that during TV broadcasts of boxing matches from the Olympics or World Championships it is strictly forbidden to show commercials (by the way, a very good example to follow) speaks about the attitude towards this sport. Yet the number one sport in Cuba is baseball. Almost all athletes, including boxers, start their careers with it. Teofilo Stevenson, who was born on March 23, 1952, in the small town of Puerto Padre in the Las Tunas region on the northern coast of Cuba, also began with baseball. His parents (father - an immigrant from the island of St. Vincent, mother - the daughter of immigrants from the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis) were workers on a sugar cane plantation.

On January 1, 1959, a revolution took place in Cuba. Dictator Batista fled the island and Fidel Castro came to power. Schools were reformed, and students with athletic inclinations were sent to special educational institutions. It was in such a school that the thirteen-year-old Teofilo ended up. In addition to baseball, he was also fond of basketball, but soon switched completely to boxing. They say it happened after he was hit by one of the teachers. Teofilo could not stand the insult, answered blow for blow and knocked an adult man to the floor. True, Stevenson himself does not like to spread about this story.

“It may seem strange to you, but I started very weakly,” the three-time Olympic champion told reporters. - Of the first twenty fights, I lost 14. At some point, it even seemed to me that I was doing something other than that I needed to quit boxing and return to basketball.

But the coaches, seeing the huge boxing potential of Teofilo, persuaded him not to quit training. I must say that it is unlikely that we would now know the name of the three-time Olympic champion Teofilo Stevenson, if not for two wonderful coaches - a Russian and a Cuban. In the late 60s, Teofilo Stevenson got to the Soviet coach Andrei Chervonenko, who was then working in Cuba. The name of this man, unfortunately now deceased, is still remembered with gratitude and respect in Cuba, although more than thirty years have passed since Andrei Kondratievich left Cuba for his homeland. In the summer of 2003 Teofilo Stevenson visited Moscow with his wife Raymaris and son David. Among other things, Teofilo planned to visit the grave of his coach at the Domodedovo cemetery. However, official events and negotiations in the Russian Boxing Federation dragged on. By the time Stevenson finally got free, it was already dark. But he did not give up his intention, although Chervonenko's grave had to be searched with lanterns. “To bow to the ashes of a teacher for Cubans, as well as for Russians, is sacred,” said the three-time Olympic champion.

It was Andrey Kondratievich Chervonenko who made a real boxer out of the “green” Stevenson, not only hitting hard, but also possessing excellent technical and tactical training. “I don’t know why he chose me,” Stevenson recalled, “but we immediately began to understand each other, despite the fact that we spoke different languages. I remember he told me more than once: “Work and think with your head. Think a lot, and then you will achieve something.”

Andrey Chervonenko's business trip to Cuba ended after the end of the Munich Olympics. Teo (as Teofilo Stevenson was called in his homeland) went to local trainer Alcides Sagarra, a mentor to many great Cuban boxers, including Teofilo Stevenson's "heir", three-time Olympic heavyweight champion Felix Savon. Andrey came up to me and, laughing, said: “Here, I am handing you my main treasure. The main thing is not to spoil ... ". And, of course, I tried, ”the Cuban coach recalled. Sagarra not only did not spoil Theo, but also managed to find and reveal new facets of the Cuban boxer's talent. It was under his leadership that Teofilo Stevenson became the Olympic champion twice more.

The first serious test for the young boxer was the Pan American Games held in Colombia in 1971. Teofilo lost to America's "white hope" Dwayne Bobick and dropped out of the fight. Naturally, before the XX Olympic Games, held in 1972 in Munich, it was Bobik who was considered the main contender for the “gold”, while Theo was given the place of the winner at best.

The draw brought together the American and Cuban boxers already in the quarterfinals. Prior to that, Teofilo preferred to act at a distance, using the length of his arms. But in a fight with Dwayne Bobick, he suddenly changed his usual tactics and immediately imposed close combat on the American. Bobik was not ready for such a turn of events, and as a result, the fight was stopped in the third round due to the clear advantage of Teofilo Stevenson. In the final, Teo defeated the Romanian boxer Ion Alexe by knockout and won his first Olympic gold medal.

Even then, he was offered to stay in the West and become a professional. But "Red Ali" rejected all such proposals. The comparison of Teofilo Stevenson with Mohammed Ali is not accidental - they were very similar both in appearance and in the manner of fighting. Of course, it would be a super spectacle - a fight between Muhammad Ali and Teofilo Stevenson. But, unfortunately, two great boxers were not destined to enter the ring against each other. They nevertheless met, though not in the ring, but in a more relaxed atmosphere, at Stevenson's house in Havana, when Ali came to Cuba in 1998. “I was very happy to meet Muhammad Ali,” Teofilo recalled. - He great boxer. Due to Parkinson's disease, he does not like public speaking, but he is an excellent conversationalist. People who don't like boxing say, "Look at Ali, he long years boxed and got Parkinson's disease." I answer like this: “Yes, Ali is sick, but then look at the Pope, he also suffers from Parkinson's disease, although, as far as I know, he never boxed in his life.”

By the way, like Ali, Teofilo Stevenson did not manage to avoid offensive defeats. In 1973, at the tournament held in Santiago de Cuba, dedicated to the memory of the famous boxer Giraldo Cordova Cardin, the Olympic champion of Munich lost to the not very titled Soviet boxer Igor Vysotsky, who came to Cuba in the rank of champion of the USSR among youth. At first, no one paid attention to this defeat - everything happens, and great champions are out of shape. But a year later, at a tournament in Minsk, Igor Vysotsky again beat Stevenson! They immediately started talking about the Soviet boxer - how, after all, few in the fight with Stevenson managed to reach the end, and Igor managed to beat the seemingly invincible Cuban champion twice. But this is what happens in sports - a more persistent and, perhaps, luckier athlete manages to achieve incredible success, while his no less talented rival remains in the shadows. Igor Vysotsky in his entire career did not even manage to break into the world championship, and Teofilo Stevenson won almost all significant amateur boxing competitions in his weight category.

After Stevenson lost twice to Vysotsky, some doubted the Cuban boxer, but Teo completely dispelled these doubts at the 1974 World Amateur Boxing Championship in Havana. He won the championship by defeating another rising American boxing star, Marvin Stinson, at the same time.

At the XXII Olympic Games in Montreal, Stevenson simply had no equal. The following fact speaks of its overwhelming advantage. As you know, in amateur boxing, a fight consists of three rounds and, accordingly, a fight can last (if there is no knockout or cut) for a maximum of 9 minutes. So, in Montreal, Stevenson spent only 7 minutes 22 seconds on three opponents, that is, about a quarter of the possible 27 minutes! In the final, Teofilo knocked out the Romanian boxer Mircea Simon. It was the second Olympic "gold" of the Cuban.

It was here that American promoters took Stevenson seriously. If after Munich he was offered a million dollars, then in 1976 - already five million, moreover, only for agreeing to go professional. But Theo, as we know, again refused, which earned him personal gratitude from the "commandant" Fidel Castro.

After the end of the Moscow Olympics-80, journalists noted the undoubted success of the Hungarian boxer Istvan Levai and Petr Zaev from the USSR. No, they did not win gold, Stevenson won again, but it was Levai and Zaev who became the first boxers who Olympic tournaments managed to hold out all three rounds in a duel with the Cuban champion. Having won in Moscow, Teofilo Stevenson repeated the achievement of the three-time Olympic champion Hungarian boxer Laszlo Papp.

Few doubted that Teofilo would become a four-time winner of the Olympics, having won gold in Los Angeles in 1984 (however, at the 1982 World Championships in the quarterfinals, Teofilo unexpectedly lost to Italian boxer Francesco Damiani). But politics intervened - the Cuban leadership supported the boycott announced by the socialist countries to the Games in the USA.

It is symbolic that the boxer completed his sports career. Teofilo's parting chord was "gold" at the 1986 World Championships in Reno. In addition to the gold medal, Teofilo was awarded the prize as the best boxer of the championship.

If Theo was a couple of years younger, maybe he would have decided to go to the 88 Olympics in Seoul and we would have seen him fight with young Lennox Lewis, who was then playing for Canada, who became the winner of those Games. But age is age - apparently, Theo decided that at 36 he would no longer be able to adequately perform at the Olympic Games.

Now Teofilo Stevenson is Vice President of the Cuban Boxing Federation and Vice President of the Association of Cuban Sportsmen. He is also a member of the AIBA Techniques and Rules Commission ( International Association amateur boxing). In addition, he is engaged in political and parliamentary activities. As in his youth, Theo is still cheerful and cheerful. He likes to eat delicious food and drink a glass or two of good Cuban rum.

Despite the fact that Teofilo Stevenson holds a high position in Cuba, there is no hot water in his house for months. He could now go to the States and live very comfortably. To do this, it is enough to speak somewhere in Miami or Washington with a couple of lectures on a topic like "the suffering of ordinary Cubans under the regime of Fidel Castro." But Teofilo Stevenson does not do this and remains to live on the Island of Freedom. Well, it is his right and his choice. In the end, for the sake of your beloved homeland, you can endure and wash yourself cold water…

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