Teofilo Stevenson has passed away.

[yancey]

Heart attack at age 60. May he rest in peace.

Always wondered how he would have done on the pro scene.

[bollox]

I have no real idea how he would have gone but I'm glad the one off fight with Ali never happened. He would have been made a fool of after the first few rounds, and the sport would have taken on freak status much earlier than it did

RIP

[kaiserbill]

RIP Teofilo.

He had it all. Speed, footwork, power, and size.

[The Great John L]

Sorry to hear about this. Not many have ever dominated a sport the way he dominated the HW division in amatuer boxing in the 70s.

RIP champ

[bennie]

Teofilo was beyond great - he was legendary.

[BoxBuzz]

60 and a heart attack? How? Was he out of shape? Had he been doing roids? Possibly genetic?

Very sad to hear about this, and I'm not insinuating anything...only curious.....and saddened.

Was he still living in Cuba? I assume he was.

[JMac]

60 and a heart attack? How? Was he out of shape? Had he been doing roids? Possibly genetic?

Very sad to hear about this, and I'm not insinuating anything...only curious.....and saddened.

Was he still living in Cuba? I assume he was.

Yes he was living in Cuba still. They would bring him to many world level tournaments as a VIP. On the current scene, there is a good post by Enrique who mentions many of the bad things about Stevenson as a human being. Interesting read.

[enrique]

Reposting this one here also:

He was a great amateur boxer but a total scumbag of a human being. In 1984 he raped Lizette Bustamante -a journalist- and when she tried to press charges Castro's state security told her to forget it if she knew what was good for her.

In the eighties he also firebombed a police captain's car and almost burned the officer who was having an affair with his wife. In Castro's Cuba he would have faced a firing squad but being Fidel's favorite no charges were pressed against him.

in the nineties he beat up an employee at Miami airport, made bond after being arrested and skipped back to Cuba, for which he was banned from returning to the US

Stevenson is an icon of amateur boxing. Three Olympic gold medals, six world amateur titles and a lifetime record of 302-22 is impressive. Among the men he beat were Americans Duane Bobick, Tony Tubbs, Bill Tate and Michael Doakes

While all athletes in Cuba are expected to toe the line politically, Stevenson and Savon have done so with fervor and enthusiasm in their support of Fidel Castro, as they constantly insisted they would never become professionals because pro boxing was exploitative and capitalistic. For their blind support they received uncommon perks, including automobiles, a government gift reserved only for the most politically loyal.

In the seventies, an attempt was made to match Teofilo Stevenson with Muhammad Ali but the Castro government did not permit it and Stevenson gave numerous interviews bad mouthing free enterprise and the evils of capitalism.

“The proposed fight was more propaganda than anything real,” boxing historian Hank Kaplan stated, “Castro did not want his prize trophy damaged. Stevenson was a great amateur but styles make fights and Stevenson was made to order for Ali. He was a stand up straight, not very fast, predictable fighter with a left jab right hand basic combination. Stevenson was only aggressive in spots and to beat Ali he would have needed to be a bull, like Frazier. Ali would have played with Stevenson.”

Sportswriter Andres Pascual agreed with Kaplan: “The whole deal of that proposed fight was pure propaganda to make Stevenson look like he was the best fighter in the planet, amateur or pro and to portray the Cuban revolution as a beacon of sports principles. It was a Caribbean version of Hitler and Schmeling. I have asked different promoters about how the idea came about of such a fight and no one seems to know. To me it was a public relations project from the government and nothing else because Stevenson did not have the style or speed to beat Ali.”

Former NABF champion Frankie Otero said that “I don’t believe Stevenson could beat Ali, who had such good mobility and landed very quick combinations. Stevenson was too rigid. Stevenson would have stalked Ali and eaten those combinations all night.”

Stevenson was a great amateur fighter but far from invincible.

“In Cuba,” states historian Melchor Rodriguez, “he was impossible to beat. A very tough heavyweight named Angel Millian dropped him two or three times and the judges voted for Stevenson.”

In spite of all his medals and stellar amateur record, Stevenson lost to Duane Bobick (one out of two) twice to Francesco Damiani and Igor Visotsky as well as defeats at the hands of Craig Payne, Peter Somner, Alexander Krupkin, Bern Adner and Orlando Castillo, all good amateurs but a far cry from the Holmes, Shavers, Lyle and Foreman bunch that Ali was facing.

Under proper management and well matched Stevenson would have earned a fortune in the pro ranks but no one will know how far he could have reached. Professional boxing and amateur pugilism vary greatly and there is no guaranteed stardom.

Many outstanding amateurs fizzled and flopped in the pros, the most poignant case being that of Craig Payne. The Michigan heavyweight had a brilliant amateur career, winning a National Golden Gloves title and international tournaments. Payne could boast of being the only fighter in the planet to hold wins over both Teofilo Stevenson and Mike Tyson. Yet as a pro, Payne won 12, lost 20 and drew once, being stopped seven times.

Argentine boxer Pablo Sagrispanti was a terror in the amateurs winning international competitions, national championships and having a long streak of consecutive victories, yet as a pro he had an 11-23-4 record, being stopped nine times while serving as a punching bag for Oscar Bonavena, Dogomar Martinez and Gregorio Peralta.

Amateur medals and trophies are symbols of experience acquired and sharpened skills but do not guarantee automatic success in the professional arena. In boxing one never knows.

Stevenson was a great amateur fighter but not a good human being

[dempseyfire]

Reposting this one here also:

He was a great amateur boxer but a total scumbag of a human being. In 1984 he raped Lizette Bustamante -a journalist- and when she tried to press charges Castro's state security told her to forget it if she knew what was good for her.

In the eighties he also firebombed a police captain's car and almost burned the officer who was having an affair with his wife. In Castro's Cuba he would have faced a firing squad but being Fidel's favorite no charges were pressed against him.

in the nineties he beat up an employee at Miami airport, made bond after being arrested and skipped back to Cuba, for which he was banned from returning to the US

Stevenson is an icon of amateur boxing. Three Olympic gold medals, six world amateur titles and a lifetime record of 302-22 is impressive. Among the men he beat were Americans Duane Bobick, Tony Tubbs, Bill Tate and Michael Doakes

While all athletes in Cuba are expected to toe the line politically, Stevenson and Savon have done so with fervor and enthusiasm in their support of Fidel Castro, as they constantly insisted they would never become professionals because pro boxing was exploitative and capitalistic. For their blind support they received uncommon perks, including automobiles, a government gift reserved only for the most politically loyal.

In the seventies, an attempt was made to match Teofilo Stevenson with Muhammad Ali but the Castro government did not permit it and Stevenson gave numerous interviews bad mouthing free enterprise and the evils of capitalism.

“The proposed fight was more propaganda than anything real,” boxing historian Hank Kaplan stated, “Castro did not want his prize trophy damaged. Stevenson was a great amateur but styles make fights and Stevenson was made to order for Ali. He was a stand up straight, not very fast, predictable fighter with a left jab right hand basic combination. Stevenson was only aggressive in spots and to beat Ali he would have needed to be a bull, like Frazier. Ali would have played with Stevenson.”

Sportswriter Andres Pascual agreed with Kaplan: “The whole deal of that proposed fight was pure propaganda to make Stevenson look like he was the best fighter in the planet, amateur or pro and to portray the Cuban revolution as a beacon of sports principles. It was a Caribbean version of Hitler and Schmeling. I have asked different promoters about how the idea came about of such a fight and no one seems to know. To me it was a public relations project from the government and nothing else because Stevenson did not have the style or speed to beat Ali.”

Former NABF champion Frankie Otero said that “I don’t believe Stevenson could beat Ali, who had such good mobility and landed very quick combinations. Stevenson was too rigid. Stevenson would have stalked Ali and eaten those combinations all night.”

Stevenson was a great amateur fighter but far from invincible.

“In Cuba,” states historian Melchor Rodriguez, “he was impossible to beat. A very tough heavyweight named Angel Millian dropped him two or three times and the judges voted for Stevenson.”

In spite of all his medals and stellar amateur record, Stevenson lost to Duane Bobick (one out of two) twice to Francesco Damiani and Igor Visotsky as well as defeats at the hands of Craig Payne, Peter Somner, Alexander Krupkin, Bern Adner and Orlando Castillo, all good amateurs but a far cry from the Holmes, Shavers, Lyle and Foreman bunch that Ali was facing.

Under proper management and well matched Stevenson would have earned a fortune in the pro ranks but no one will know how far he could have reached. Professional boxing and amateur pugilism vary greatly and there is no guaranteed stardom.

Many outstanding amateurs fizzled and flopped in the pros, the most poignant case being that of Craig Payne. The Michigan heavyweight had a brilliant amateur career, winning a National Golden Gloves title and international tournaments. Payne could boast of being the only fighter in the planet to hold wins over both Teofilo Stevenson and Mike Tyson. Yet as a pro, Payne won 12, lost 20 and drew once, being stopped seven times.

Argentine boxer Pablo Sagrispanti was a terror in the amateurs winning international competitions, national championships and having a long streak of consecutive victories, yet as a pro he had an 11-23-4 record, being stopped nine times while serving as a punching bag for Oscar Bonavena, Dogomar Martinez and Gregorio Peralta.

Amateur medals and trophies are symbols of experience acquired and sharpened skills but do not guarantee automatic success in the professional arena. In boxing one never knows.

Stevenson was a great amateur fighter but not a good human being

I'm not saying the above isn't true, and knowing how pro athletes are canonized and treated like royalty in dictatorships (and even here in the US to a lesser extent) I would think it would be true, but I'd be curious to know the source of some of the accusations. Widely-inflated propaganda can be found amongst both the Castro regime and the Cuban exiles in Miami.

[muray]

I saw Stevenson box in Charlotte Nc quite a few years ago. Although he won the decision he was not impressive. Ali would have handled him easily

[enrique]

Here's a source for you if you can read Spanish a wire publised in the european press nov 14 2006. it is also in the archives of the Miami Herald

==============================.

Lissette Bustamante Una periodista cubana que alcanzó notoriedad por sus entrevistas con el gobernante Fidel Castro, reveló ayer en Miami que fue violada por el legendario boxeador Teófilo Stevenson en 1984.

''No lo dije antes por miedo y porque he necesitado tiempo para recuperarme sicológicamente de todas las heridas que la revolución cubana dejó en mi persona'', declaró Lissette Bustamante durante una conversación con El Nuevo Herald.

Bustamante, quien desertó en España en 1992 tras tener total acceso a las altas esferas del poder en Cuba, compareció anoche en el programa Paparazzi del canal local Mega TV. Se encuentra en Miami invitada por la XXIII Feria Internacional del Libro para presentar su novela Jineteras (2003), un fresco de la prostitución bajo el régimen castrista.

''Siento una vergüenza muy grande porque es algo muy humillante para una mujer'', manifestó Bustamante sin contener las lágrimas. "Yo salí de Cuba hecha m... y tengo que sacarme esas cosas de dentro para limpiar mi vida''.

Según su confesión, el incidente con Stevenson ocurrió tras la victoria del tricampeón olímpico de los pesos pesados en un torneo internacional celebrado en La Habana. El evento de boxeo integraba el programa de los Juegos de la Amistad, que fueron auspiciados por los países del antiguo bloque socialista como alternativa al boicot de la Olimpiada de Los Angeles de 1984.

''Después de ganar la pelea final [al soviético Valeri Abadzhan], Fidel Castro fue hasta los camerinos a felicitar a Stevenson'', recordó. "Luego había una fiesta en el Hotel Tritón y varias gentes del mundo del deporte y la televisión fuimos invitados''.

Una vez terminada la fiesta, Stevenson invitó a un grupo de personas a compartir en su habitación. Bustamante cuenta que pasado un tiempo pidió ir al baño y, al retornar, el deportista ya había sacado al resto de los invitados del lugar y la forzó a tener sexo.

''Me empujó y me rompió la ropa [...]. Yo comencé a gritar y él me tapó la boca'', agregó. "Es poco lo que se puede resistir frente a un mastodonte de más de 81 kilos''.

De acuerdo con el testimonio, al día siguiente Stevenson le envió un ramo de flores y luego se apareció en la casa de Bustamante para disculparse. Ella refiere que lo insultó con fuertes palabras y lo echó de la vivienda, y que al poco rato recibió una insólita visita.

''Eran oficiales de la Seguridad del Estado que me recomendaron olvidar lo sucedido porque de divulgarse podía afectar seriamente la imagen de la revolución al estar involucrados una periodista vinculada a Fidel y un símbolo del deporte cubano'', recordó Bustamante.

Stevenson, de 52 años, es actualmente vicepresidente de la Federación Cubana de Boxeo (FCB). Es considerado un prófugo de la justicia estadounidense tras protagonizar una disputa violenta con un empleado de la aerolínea United Airlines en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami en 1999.

En esa oportunidad Stevenson fue arrestado y permaneció por varias horas en una cárcel del condado Miami-Dade antes de obtener una fianza para viajar de inmediato a Cuba. Posteriormente un juez emitió una orden de arresto contra él por no presentarse a la citación del tribunal.

Bustamante fue separada de la televisión cubana en 1989 por visitar la tumba del general fusilado Arnaldo Ochoa. Mantuvo relaciones sentimentales con Carlos Aldana, un jerarca de la nomenclatura castrista que fue destituido en 1992.

[Like a Boss]

Very sad to hear of his passing. Great amateur. One of the very best ever.

[Jaclem]

.....i remember watching stevenson in a tv fight and the announcer...whoever..was saying what a great pro he would be....he could go to the top right now,"and i said there was a big difference between amateurs and pros and that if jerry quarry was just sitting in the audience he could get into trunks and a foul cup and
knock stevenson out right then and there....size and reach difference and all...and my friends mostly hooted at me but i still think i was right.

p.s. i will save box buzz the trouble of making some post about my friends must have been owls and dismiss the obvious gag before he makes it.

[yancey]

.....i remember watching stevenson in a tv fight and the announcer...whoever..was saying what a great pro he would be....he could go to the top right now,"and i said there was a big difference between amateurs and pros and that if jerry quarry was just sitting in the audience he could get into trunks and a foul cup and
knock stevenson out right then and there....size and reach difference and all...and my friends mostly hooted at me but i still think i was right.

p.s. i will save box buzz the trouble of making some post about my friends must have been owls and dismiss the obvious gag before he makes it.

Stevenson-Quarry might have been interesting.

I'm going to put it as a topic just to see the thoughts.

[Bricks]

Didn't tyrell biggs fight stephenson?

[Nile4000]

Was a great fighter, but couldn't beat Igor Vysotsky in two different tries, something Angel Milian managed to do, and had hell with Jimmy Clark in two different fights.I always felt Greg Page would've beaten him after 1977, but unfortunately, it never happened.

[boxbible]

Stevenson had a great, great right hand. But, if you could get under it and roll, you had a shot at beating him. That's what Vysotsky did. And Jimmy Clark nearly did. Because he barely turned it underneath. It was always straight down the pike.

[HomicideHenry]

Stevenson will always be an enigma, but I am convinced had he fought Ali in the late 70's he probably would have beaten him because lets face it if Spinks could do it Stevenson would have done it better. However, that being said lets be real the majority of the people Stevenson beat in Cuba were young men and teenagers. Had he turned pro and had to work his way up to fight Ali, he probably wouldnt have made it far as a professional because there were so many good heavyweights in the way.

[Nile4000]

Even would give Mitch Green and Marvis Frazier a chance of beating Teo, around 1979-1980.

[fatcity69]

Even would give Mitch Green and Marvis Frazier a chance of beating Teo, around 1979-1980.

Most of those defeats mentioned came when Stevenston was in decline or outright shot, very few beat him when he was at his best. As for Stevenston not being a good human being I think many people have done things in their lives which they wouldnt want scrutinized by the wider public, we all make mistakes and do 'bad' things at some points, so I think it is a bit harsh to just dismiss Stevenston as a bad person. Just my opinion, there you are.

[Nile4000]

Even would give Mitch Green and Marvis Frazier a chance of beating Teo, around 1979-1980.

Most of those defeats mentioned came when Stevenston was in decline or outright shot, very few beat him when he was at his best. As for Stevenston not being a good human being I think many people have done things in their lives which they wouldnt want scrutinized by the wider public, we all make mistakes and do 'bad' things at some points, so I think it is a bit harsh to just dismiss Stevenston as a bad person. Just my opinion, there you are.

If he did rape someone, he should've been thrown in the tank.I feel you on what you saying, however.But he shouldn't have lost two fights to Igor.

[Like a Boss]

60 and a heart attack? How? Was he out of shape? Had he been doing roids? Possibly genetic?

Very sad to hear about this, and I'm not insinuating anything...only curious.....and saddened.

Was he still living in Cuba? I assume he was.

From review of the recently released book ‘The Domino Diaries’ by Brin-Jonathan Butler :

Butler crafts a particularly poignant portrait of Teofilo Stevenson, the intensely handsome, 6-foot-5 giant who won Olympic gold medals in the heavyweight division at the 1972 Munich, 1976 Montreal and 1980 Moscow Olympics. He was favored to win a fourth gold medal in 1984 but Cuba was among the Communist countries that boycotted the Los Angeles Games.

In 1976, Stevenson was offered $5 million to leave Cuba and fight Muhammad Ali. He declined.

Butler interviewed Stevenson in his modest Havana home in May 2011.

“By now,” Butler writes, “Stevenson was a full blown alcoholic without enough money to replace a flat tire on his car. Yet while his life remained an open wound, I saw no evidence of regret.”

The price that Butler paid for the interview was $130 and a bottle of vodka.

Stevenson died 13 months later at age 60. His conversation with Butler was his last known filmed interview.

[cfang]

Reposting this one here also:

He was a great amateur boxer but a total scumbag of a human being. In 1984 he raped Lizette Bustamante -a journalist- and when she tried to press charges Castro's state security told her to forget it if she knew what was good for her.

In the eighties he also firebombed a police captain's car and almost burned the officer who was having an affair with his wife. In Castro's Cuba he would have faced a firing squad but being Fidel's favorite no charges were pressed against him.

in the nineties he beat up an employee at Miami airport, made bond after being arrested and skipped back to Cuba, for which he was banned from returning to the US

Stevenson is an icon of amateur boxing. Three Olympic gold medals, six world amateur titles and a lifetime record of 302-22 is impressive. Among the men he beat were Americans Duane Bobick, Tony Tubbs, Bill Tate and Michael Doakes

While all athletes in Cuba are expected to toe the line politically, Stevenson and Savon have done so with fervor and enthusiasm in their support of Fidel Castro, as they constantly insisted they would never become professionals because pro boxing was exploitative and capitalistic. For their blind support they received uncommon perks, including automobiles, a government gift reserved only for the most politically loyal.

In the seventies, an attempt was made to match Teofilo Stevenson with Muhammad Ali but the Castro government did not permit it and Stevenson gave numerous interviews bad mouthing free enterprise and the evils of capitalism.

“The proposed fight was more propaganda than anything real,” boxing historian Hank Kaplan stated, “Castro did not want his prize trophy damaged. Stevenson was a great amateur but styles make fights and Stevenson was made to order for Ali. He was a stand up straight, not very fast, predictable fighter with a left jab right hand basic combination. Stevenson was only aggressive in spots and to beat Ali he would have needed to be a bull, like Frazier. Ali would have played with Stevenson.”

Sportswriter Andres Pascual agreed with Kaplan: “The whole deal of that proposed fight was pure propaganda to make Stevenson look like he was the best fighter in the planet, amateur or pro and to portray the Cuban revolution as a beacon of sports principles. It was a Caribbean version of Hitler and Schmeling. I have asked different promoters about how the idea came about of such a fight and no one seems to know. To me it was a public relations project from the government and nothing else because Stevenson did not have the style or speed to beat Ali.”

Former NABF champion Frankie Otero said that “I don’t believe Stevenson could beat Ali, who had such good mobility and landed very quick combinations. Stevenson was too rigid. Stevenson would have stalked Ali and eaten those combinations all night.”

Stevenson was a great amateur fighter but far from invincible.

“In Cuba,” states historian Melchor Rodriguez, “he was impossible to beat. A very tough heavyweight named Angel Millian dropped him two or three times and the judges voted for Stevenson.”

In spite of all his medals and stellar amateur record, Stevenson lost to Duane Bobick (one out of two) twice to Francesco Damiani and Igor Visotsky as well as defeats at the hands of Craig Payne, Peter Somner, Alexander Krupkin, Bern Adner and Orlando Castillo, all good amateurs but a far cry from the Holmes, Shavers, Lyle and Foreman bunch that Ali was facing.

Under proper management and well matched Stevenson would have earned a fortune in the pro ranks but no one will know how far he could have reached. Professional boxing and amateur pugilism vary greatly and there is no guaranteed stardom.

Many outstanding amateurs fizzled and flopped in the pros, the most poignant case being that of Craig Payne. The Michigan heavyweight had a brilliant amateur career, winning a National Golden Gloves title and international tournaments. Payne could boast of being the only fighter in the planet to hold wins over both Teofilo Stevenson and Mike Tyson. Yet as a pro, Payne won 12, lost 20 and drew once, being stopped seven times.

Argentine boxer Pablo Sagrispanti was a terror in the amateurs winning international competitions, national championships and having a long streak of consecutive victories, yet as a pro he had an 11-23-4 record, being stopped nine times while serving as a punching bag for Oscar Bonavena, Dogomar Martinez and Gregorio Peralta.

Amateur medals and trophies are symbols of experience acquired and sharpened skills but do not guarantee automatic success in the professional arena. In boxing one never knows.

Stevenson was a great amateur fighter but not a good human being

[gregor]

In spite of all his medals and stellar amateur record, Stevenson lost to Duane Bobick (one out of two) twice to Francesco Damiani and Igor Visotsky as well as defeats at the hands of Craig Payne, Peter Somner, Alexander Krupkin, Bern Adner and Orlando Castillo, all good amateurs but a far cry from the Holmes, Shavers, Lyle and Foreman bunch that Ali was facing.

True, but comparing Ali with Stevenson directly without taking into account the differences between amateur and pro boxing is not fair.

In pro boxing rescheduling a fight is relatively easy - so if you are sick, injured, cut on sparrings or anything like this, you may just postpone it. In amateur, this is hardly possible on most of the events, so you have to fight anyway (or quit if the issue is too serious for that).

And since Stevenson had 320+ fights (more than 5x more than Ali), it was almost guaranteed he had a day off - or rather a couple of them - possibly also sometimes against not that great opponents.

[DaveyMac]

I don't know if any of that is true or not but it reads like just more anti-Castro crap to me.