fiba 2006 - ff fiba CONTACT - fibaARCHIVES - fiba SPONSORS - fiba 2005


The Cuban Boxing revolution
By Alex Trickett (2004)

Think Olympic dynasties and Kenyan distance run- ning, Russian ice hockey and US basketball spring to mind. But packing an equal punch to any of those is Cuban Boxing. Since 1972, the island has won 27 gold medals in the ring. They have come an aver-

Stevenson (right) spars with Mohamad Ali
age of four-and-a-half per Olympics excluding the boycotted Games of 1984 and 1988, and eight more than the mighty USA has managed in the same period. Boxing's blue-riband class, heavyweight, has felt the full force of Cuba's revolution. Teofilo Stevenson exploded on to the world stage in 1972, winning by walkover in the Munich final and scooping the Val Barker Cup as the dominant boxer of the Games.

After retaining his title in Montreal four years later, Stevenson was tempted by a princely sum to challenge world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. But he refused, staying faithful to revolutionary leader Fidel Castro - who supports amateur boxing but banned all professional sport in 1962 - and asking: "What do I need with $5m when I have the love of 11m Cubans?"

While compatriot Angel Herrera was adding a lightweight title to his featherweight success of 1976, Stevenson won his third straight crown at Moscow 1980, joining only Hungary's Laslo Papp (1948-56) in that feat.

However, Cuba's most golden period still lay ahead. After staying away from Los Angeles and Seoul, Cubans won seven titles in 1992, the most by any nation in a non-boycott year. Hector Vinent (light welterweight) and Ariel Hernandez (middleweight) started their eight-year reigns, while Joel Casamayor (bantamweight) beat Irishman Wayne McCullough.

. Felix Savon, meanwhile, filled the heavyweight void, winning the first of his three titles. He would beat the likes of Michael Bentt, Shannon Briggs, David Tua and Kirk Johnson in a distinguished amateur career, declining even more money than Stevenson to turn pro. (Savon won his third gold in Sydney. Below right.)
Although Savon will not be at Athens bidding for an historic fourth gold, Cuba's boxing bandwagon rolls on, carrying a new crop of medal hopefuls to Athens.

So how does a small island keep churning out champions? Part of the
recipe for success lies in politics. To reinforce national pride dented by years of sanctions, Castro's regime strongly backs the sport, picking out gifted youngsters and nurturing their talents at special schools. Boxers are then prohibited from joining the highly-paid ranks of the professionals.
Castro strongly backs boxing. This can backfire. Casamayor defected after his Olympic win, apparent- ly insulted by the modest gift of a bicycle sent to him as a bonus. But most do stick with the system and this gives Cuba a crucial advantage. Where other countries lose their top amateurs to money fights after one Olympic cycle, Cuba gets to recycle its best brawlers. Stevenson and Savon were already phenomenal on their de- buts, but they came back in subsequent campaigns

almost unbeatable due to a combination of age and experience. Look for Cuba's boxers - young and mature - to set the standard again in Greece as they continue their pulsating rivalries with the USA and the eastern European powerhouses.
__________________

Cuban boxing gold sought as coach
(2006 Wed 15 Nov, 3:30 PM)


LONDON (Reuters) - The Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) wants Cuban Olympic lightweight champion Mario Kindelan to coach their boxers in the runup to the 2012 London Games, ABA chief executive Paul King said on Wednesday. "We are still in discussions at the moment with Cuba. We hope to create a coach exchange programme which will include Mario Kindelan coming to England early in 2007," King told Reuters.

He added the ABA expected an answer from Cuba by mid-December and was confident the programme, which is funded by UK Sports, would go ahead. Kindelan, 35, beat Briton Amir Khan in Athens 2004 and Ukrainian Andriy Kotelnyk four years earlier in Sydney. He has also won three consecutive world titles.

"If Kindelan gets the go-ahead he will coach youngsters throughout England, Scotland and Wales. It will be a real feather in our caps," King said. Cuba is the leading light in amateur boxing and 56 out of the 178 countries affiliated to the AIBA have Cuban coaches.


Two Cuban boys show their boxing skills during Plan Calle
organized to provide activities for children in Old Havana

The exchange programme is due to last for three years and will offer opportunities for English coaches to take the reverse route and coach in Cuba. Contracts may be extended depending on performance.




As well as coaching, Kindelan would head the ABA's recruitment drive which King hopes will attract another 25,000 youngsters to the current 12,000 registered amateur boxers in England.

_____________________________________

CONTENTS fiba 2007
________________________________

FILMBANK 2007

Year of the PIG