Teofilo Stevenson - Cuban boxer: biography, sporting achievements. The last days of Theophilus Stevenson Continuing his career and preparing for the Olympics in Russia

Robert Louis Stevenson 1850–1894 Scottish writer and poet, author of world-famous adventure novels. Marriage is a long conversation, interrupted by arguments. Perhaps fate is more favorable to the one who loves to collect shells than to the one who was born

Teofilo Stevenson (Born 1952) Cuban boxer. Champion of the XX Olympic Games in Munich (Germany), 1972. Champion of the XXI Olympic Games in Montreal (Canada), 1976. Champion of the games of the XXII Olympiad in Moscow (USSR), 1980 In 1904, at the games of the III Olympiad in St. Louis, America, five

The many faces of Stevenson “In essence, this was not my first book at all, because I write not only novels. However, I understand perfectly well that my treasurer, His Majesty the reader, looks at everything else written by me with indifference, if not hostility. He doesn't recognize me

STEVENSON, Robert Lewis (Louis) (Stevenson, Robert Louis, 1850–1894), English writer 546 Fifteen men on a dead man's chest. Yohoho, and a bottle of rum! "Treasure Island" (1883), ch. 1; hereinafter per. N. Chukovsky? Stevenson, p. 6 547 Black mark. "Treasure Island" title Ch. 3? Stevenson, p.

STEVENSON, Adlai (Stevenson, Adlai Eving, 1900–1965), American politician, in 1952 and 1956. Democratic Presidential Candidate 551 I would suggest the following to my Republican friends:<…>if they stop telling lies about Democrats, we'll stop telling

STEVENSON, Adlai (Stevenson, Adlai Eving, 1900–1965), American politician, 1952 and 1956 Democratic presidential candidate90 I would suggest the following to my Republican friends:<…>if they stop telling lies about Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about

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

These people are not sociologists, politicians or soldiers. These are the 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.

The men and their conversations are the content of "The People's Fighters: Teofilo Stevenson and the Legends of Cuban Boxing," a new Olympic Channel documentary produced by Frank Marshall and Peter Berg.

"It's the story of Cuba through the lens of boxing, which is a much bigger story than just 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 welcomes young fighters who want to train in boxing. Photo courtesy olympicchannel.com

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

The sculpted bodies of their youth had disappeared, replaced by wrinkles and gray hair. Despite this, the fighting spirit that once made them national heroes is still there, as is pride in their homeland and achievements. These wise old men, along with other Cubans, give a candid first-hand account of the glory and triumph that was their lives.

That was the best thing that happened,” Marshall said. After being closed for so long, they actually had the opportunity to talk about themselves. It was wonderful. Ten years ago I couldn't even go there.

Berg, whose directorial credits include “Friday Night Lights,” “Lone Survivor” and “Patriots Day,” juxtaposed footage of boxing and the Cuban Revolution to create a montage that points to how inseparable the two are.

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

Tanks march through the streets of Old Havana; young boxers working out in the gym, troops coming ashore, rifles raised 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 for a short period of a month, shortly after the overthrow of 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 enthusiastic reception upon his arrival in Cuba is a reminder of how hot the Cold War was and how sports were often a battleground.

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 arm. He was the ideal figure to realize Castro's goal of turning Cuba into an invincible sporting power.

Teofilo Stevenson's right tackles John Tate of the United States in the quarterfinals 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 dispatched American Olympic hopes Dwayne Bobek, Tyrell Biggs and John Tate.

Unlike Joe Frazier's crushing finish, 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 hand, but couldn't do anything about it.

Stevenson and Castro made quite an odd couple. Fidel was El Capitan, the bearded, gun-toting leader of the Cuban Revolution, a mesmerizing extrovert with messianic tendencies. Teofilo was El Gran Campeon, a humble man 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,” echoes Correa Sr.

One of the main strengths of The People's Fighter is telling the story from the Cuban point of view. The storytelling is smooth and informative without being presumptuous. Opinions from the people on earth who are the real stars of the film.

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

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

Teofilo Stevenson on the right and Mohammed Aliv at the Roberto Balad Hall in 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. This was a hot topic after Cuba's success at the 1976 Olympics, but it never ended.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Cuba's economic pipeline was shut down and the country fell into a depression they call the "Special Period." It was a situation that eventually led to many of Cuba's top boxers leaving their homeland to seek political asylum and turn professional. Some went to Europe, but most came to the United States, where they settled.

Stevenson died in 2012 of a heart attack at age 60, a beloved hero revered both for his exploits 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 decided 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 big 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, the 2016 Rio Olympic gold medalist in the light heavyweight division. “In those days we competed for honor, for our flag to be above the rest. Nowadays people think differently, and of course they understand that making money is good.”

Money remains a problem for the old beach champions. At one time 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 broke,” Gomez says.

The Lara cars (made in Cuba in the 1950s before the revolution) that the government allocated to them look decrepit.

“From the bottom of my heart I can say that I love my car because it is 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 final footage of the documentary shows flashbacks of these old boxers and what they looked like back then. For a few moments they became those people's fighters again. And then it was time to leave.

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

Cuban boxer Teofilo Stevenson is quite famous in the sports field. He achieved world 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 benefit. But everything changed right then. Teofilo Stevenson, whose biography will be given in the article, ended up in a sports school, where his father had studied for some time before. This is how the story of the famous boxer began.

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 at the Olympic Games, where he won three gold medals. No one else in the world of boxing has achieved such achievements either earlier or later.

Teofilo Stevenson family

His father was an immigrant who moved to Cuba in 1923. For a long time he supported himself with inconsistent earnings, one of which was teaching English. Having large dimensions, my father enjoyed respect among his circle. Once he was invited to boxing classes, where he had seven fights. After the last of them, Stevenson Sr. abandoned training. According to him, the reason was the high level of corruption in the sports sector. And this was not without reason. Dirty business practices were typical of sports clubs at that time.

Teofilo's mother was a native Cuban, born and raised in Puerto Padre. Being a woman of character, she had considerable authority in the family. Sometimes even Father Teofilo tried to avoid confrontations with her. In his early years, the athlete himself hid his passion for boxing for some time, since his mother was against playing this sport.

An athlete's childhood

Teofilo Stevenson was not particularly talented in his early years. Being a lazy teenager, he simply killed his time until he got into the boxing section at the age of 9. The gym in which he trained was the same one 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 notify his wife, which he very much regretted, since she was simply furious. But in the end, she still gave the go-ahead for training.

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

This is how it came to winning the 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 specially arrived from Moscow to improve the boxing school in Cuba. Due to the 1962 decree, boxing was a prohibited activity on the island, and in order to hold a fight, it was necessary to obtain appropriate permission from the administration. Chervonenko organized a real boxing school from a dilapidated refuge for those who loved to wave their arms.

With the new coach, Teofilo's boxing training received a new level, which allowed him to participate in more serious fights. 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 train even harder. And the time was well spent. Following the defeat, the boxer scored two victories in a row over Perez and Carrilo. These fighters were considered the best and were superior to Teofilo in many ways. However, this did not stop the young, capable fighter from sending them into the ring. The best boxers in the world - that's who the famous boxer had to go face to face with in the ring.

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, it established him as the best fighter in Cuba, where Teofilo was greeted with honors by his fellow countrymen upon his return. Upon returning, the athlete continued his training. In addition to Chervonenko, Stevenson now has a second coach. It was Alcides Saggaro, an experienced Cuban boxer.

With constant training, Teofilo was able to deliver a devastating jab, which became his crown in a number of fights. After the Central American Championship, Teofilo finds himself in 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 dealt with the German fighter, putting him in the ring in a fairly short time.

Munich Olympic Games

When Teofilo turned 20, he and his team went to Munich, where the Olympics were being held. The first fight fell to the Cuban with the Pole Denderis and did not take even a minute. Having knocked his opponent down, Teofilo advanced to the 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 for three whole rounds what he was capable of. His opponent, American Dwayne Bobik, probed the Cuban defense as best he could. But in the third round, Teofilo began to literally smash his opponent around the ring. After the third fall of the American onto the ropes, the judges declared Teofilo the winner.

In the semi-final fight, German Peter Hassing came out against the Cuban boxer. The fight ended very quickly in Teofilo's favor. The final fight was the shortest of the entire Munich Olympics. It simply did not take place for the reason that Teofilo’s opponent was unable to 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. Also, the Cuban Boxers rightfully earned respect for themselves as professional fighters, and were no longer treated with disdain, as had happened previously.

Victory at the World Championship and refusal to fight Muhammad Ali

In 1974, Stevenson again received gold, after which he was awarded a medal at the Olympic Games held in Montreal. By 1976, Stevenson had three gold medals, so it was not surprising that he was offered a contract to fight with Teofilo, who refused the offer, despite the fact that he would receive five million dollars if he lost. What did winning promise him? However, the Cuban fighter argued that respect was more important to him than money.

Olympics in Moscow

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

Opportunity to participate in the fourth Olympics

Closer to the Olympics, which were to be held in Los Angeles, the Cuban trained hard. This would have been the fourth Olympics where he could have won, but he failed to make it. The reason turned out to be 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 Cuban's former opponent who was defeated. Many sports analysts had no doubt that Stevenson would win again in this fight.

Retirement from boxing

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

Stevenson was defeated only 22 times throughout his lengthy 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 this was easy for the Russian athlete. His image misled his opponents, because Teofilo did not have the serious dimensions typical of boxers of that time. However, this became a fatal mistake for many. The main feature of the Cuban boxer is his willpower and desire to win, which he developed within himself with every minute he spent in the ring.

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