Teofilo Stevenson was a record-breaking champion with the potential to become as great as Muhammad Ali – but the Cuban, who died 13 years ago today, sacrificed his professional career for communism.
There was sadness in the streets of Havana, and the international boxing scene was in mourning.
On January 11, 2012—13 years ago today—Teofilo Stevenson, the great hero of the proud boxing nation of Cuba, died at the age of 60 from a heart attack.
The man who was the first heavyweight to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals was already a legend during his lifetime. And he could have become an even greater legend had he not insisted on principles that seem unthinkable from today’s perspective.
Teofilo Stevenson refused to fight Muhammad Ali and Co.
“The best heavyweight boxer is Teofilo Stevenson. None of today’s champions would stand a chance against him,” claimed George Foreman, who died this year, during Stevenson’s heyday.
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, both ten years his senior, wanted to destroy Stevenson’s special magic and lure him into the professional ranks with million-dollar fees, but Stevenson remained stubborn.
The amateur boxer was a loyal soldier who followed the dictates of his communist president, Fidel Castro, and turned his back on money and glamour.
“What’s a million dollars compared to eight million Cubans who love me?” said Stevenson, speaking from the heart of his country’s leader.
In Cuban socialism, all people had to be equal, and athletes were no exception. Instead of following the sweet temptations of capitalist countries, Cuba’s fighters had to promote their country at the Olympics. Stevenson took this national task to heart with complete conviction.
A moment of glory at the 1972 Olympics in Munich
His star rose right away during his first Olympic appearance in Munich in 1972: the boy from a humble background swept his first opponent out of the ring after 30 seconds. In the semifinals, he knocked out German champion Peter Hussing. When his opponent failed to show up for the final, Teofilo Francisco Stevenson Lawrence became Olympic champion at the age of 20.
“I’m totally shocked. He was such a nice guy and wouldn’t hurt a fly. He just boxed, that was his goal,” said Hussing after his defeat in Munich. “I’ve never been hit so hard,” admitted the “Bear of Brachbach.”
Boycott prevented fourth Olympic victory
Stevenson also won gold in Montreal in 1976 and Moscow in 1980 – without much resistance.
The Cuban dominator became the first boxer in history to win gold at three consecutive Olympic Games after Hungary’s Laszlo Papp (1948 to 1956).
In 1984, he set his sights on a fourth triumph, but once again his head of state thwarted his plans: Cuba boycotted the Games in Los Angeles after Western countries had boycotted Moscow four years earlier in protest against Russia’s intervention in Afghanistan.
Perhaps it was better for the Stevenson myth: at the 1982 Amateur World Championships in Munich, he lost his luster, surprisingly losing in the preliminary round to Italy’s Francesco Damiani.
