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Cuba bids Oly hero Stevenson goodbye
Cuba paid its respects on Tuesday to the late boxer Teofilo Stevenson, one of the greatest Olympians of all time who turned down the chance to fight Muhammad Ali at the height of both fighters powers.
Cuba paid its respects on Tuesday to the late boxer Teofilo Stevenson, one of the greatest Olympians of all time who turned down the chance to fight Muhammad Ali at the height of both fighters powers.
Stevenson, who won three gold medals as a heavyweight boxer and turned down multi-million dollar offers to turn professional after emerging as a huge talent at the 1972 Munich Games, died of a heart attack on Monday at the age of 60.
Stevenson, born into a poor family in Puerto Padre in the eastern province of Las Tunas, won gold medals at the Munich Games in 1972, Montreal in 1976 and Moscow in 1980.
He won three world amateur championship titles and missed out on a shot at a fourth Olympic title when Cuba boycotted the Los Angeles Games in 1984.
“Cuba has lost a symbol,” said Alcides Sagarra, Stevenson's former trainer. In a 20-year career, Stevenson stood out for a devastating right, skillful movements in the ring and sportsmanship which won him a Fair Play trophy. He was widely regarded as the best amateur heavyweight ever.
