Cuban great Stevenson dies at 60
Source: Agencies |
June 13, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CUBAN boxer Teofilo Stevenson, the three-time Olympic heavyweight champion with a devastating right hand and a gentlemanly demeanor, has died. He was 60.
"The Cuban sporting family was moved today by the passing of one of the greatest of all time," said a statement read on the news on Monday night. He died of heart disease, it added.
Earlier a sports official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Stevenson had a heart attack.
Considered by some to be the most accomplished amateur boxer in history, Stevenson first won gold in 1972 in Munich and followed that up in 1976 at Montreal.
"The Olympic Games in Munich and Montreal are the fondest memories I have from my life, the best stage of my career," he said earlier this year.
In 1980, he won his third Olympic title in Moscow, becoming the second boxer to win gold at three separate games after Hungarian Lazlo Papp. Felix Savon, Stevenson's countryman, accomplished the feat in 2000.
Known affectionately on the island by the nickname "Pirolo," Stevenson was famous for his punishing right, polished technique, deft hand and footwork, and his sportsmanship.
As his accomplishments grew, boxing fans began salivating over the prospect of a "fight of the century" pitting him against Muhammad Ali. But Cuba insisted that he not lose his amateur status, and the bout never took place.
After Stevenson won his first world title in 1974, Sports Illustrated ran the headline: "He'd Rather Be Red Than Rich."
"The Cuban sporting family was moved today by the passing of one of the greatest of all time," said a statement read on the news on Monday night. He died of heart disease, it added.
Earlier a sports official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Stevenson had a heart attack.
Considered by some to be the most accomplished amateur boxer in history, Stevenson first won gold in 1972 in Munich and followed that up in 1976 at Montreal.
"The Olympic Games in Munich and Montreal are the fondest memories I have from my life, the best stage of my career," he said earlier this year.
In 1980, he won his third Olympic title in Moscow, becoming the second boxer to win gold at three separate games after Hungarian Lazlo Papp. Felix Savon, Stevenson's countryman, accomplished the feat in 2000.
Known affectionately on the island by the nickname "Pirolo," Stevenson was famous for his punishing right, polished technique, deft hand and footwork, and his sportsmanship.
As his accomplishments grew, boxing fans began salivating over the prospect of a "fight of the century" pitting him against Muhammad Ali. But Cuba insisted that he not lose his amateur status, and the bout never took place.
After Stevenson won his first world title in 1974, Sports Illustrated ran the headline: "He'd Rather Be Red Than Rich."
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