3x Olympic gold medalist! Teófilo Stevenson is the greatest Olympic Heavyweight in boxing history, he dominated 3 consecutive Olympics with ease. In his prime in the 1976 Montreal games he was the perfect balance of technique, speed and power - George Foreman claimed that he could become a champion if he turned professional but it wasn't to be as Stevenson remained an amateur his entire career. He became a legend in Cuba and is one of the all time great amateur boxers. www.patreon.com/haNZAgod
Stevenson was a close friend of mine and I was lucky to have had the opportunity to watch these highlights reels with him. In my opinion, I believe Teofilo would have won 5 Olympic Gold medals. Cuba boycotted 1984 and 1988 games when Stevenson was still the reigning world champion. Thanks for posting this video. He would have been thrilled!
Teofilo Stevenson fought in the style of a true professional boxer. George Foreman believed Stevenson could have become a professional heavyweight champion. He's one of the greatest champions himself. We are just fans who watch these marvelous fighters of the past.
Stevenson could have been the only fighter to win 4 gold medals in the Olympic Games had Cuba didn't boycott the 1984 Olympic Games at Los Angeles. Also, I wonder how many knockouts he scored out of 302 amateur wins? Anyways, great tribute to a legend.
@@FoxNewsChannelSux is a lot of great fighters Cruz there's a lefty lady she's black and is beautiful looks just like Clarissa but younger. I don't understand why not leave Cuba and live here in the United States they're going to get taxed double. One thing I will tell you Cuban life is easier more relaxed but I won't change the US for nothing nope nope nope nope
@@FoxNewsChannelSux I have videos but I can't release them. There's a heavyweight come for Fury. Just wait. Do you think Morrell is ready for for Benavidez. You see. I like Benavides and Jose Benavidez is a great person. I'm from Cuba but I'm not stupid. I like both fighters Benavides and Morrell
@@FoxNewsChannelSux there's a couple of fighters that are out of Cuba Cruz. A young Lefty lady but I don't think they want to leave Cuba and stay in the US. I'm telling you Cuba is calm but the government is BS. Times I just don't understand them I'm from Cuba but I live in Miami I won't change the US for nothing no matter how many problems we have here
Teofilo has that probing jab to straight right down to a science. He's deceptively quick with it too. You couldn't pay me enough to take one of his punches lol.
Felix Savon was an incredible fighter, but not at Teo Stevenson's level. Fighters forfeited rather than face Stevenson, because they were too afraid. Felix Savon was incredible, but he never brought that kind of power or presence to the ring.
In 1977 he was offered 5 million to fight Ali. He turned it down to stay loyal to Cuba. That would have been dangerous for Ali. It’s the same time he lost to Leon. Teofilo would have hurt him.
Was even allowed to leave? I recall Cuba at the time, athletes had to defect in order to compete professional, of course Stevenson was an Olympian so he left all the time but if he wanted to leave Cuba, would he be allowed to?
@@allainangcao28 according to him he would be allowed, journalists has asked him about it and some said he could not but he denied that until he died. Then people also have to take in count that at that time from my understanding people really hated usa due to all the heavy sanctions and did not want to go there same with other countries in latin america.
As a young teen I always thought he would be a problem for Ali had they fought. Stephenson's right was absolutely lethal. He had no wasted motion. Pure precision. It'll remain one of those what ifs that we'll never know the answer to unfortunately.
Something I think just Doesn’t get talked about enough about is if Steveson a turn pro right after his last amateur fight he could fought two eras of heavyweight boxing legends
he is probably hardest puncher in boxing history. i mean no one came close to 30 percent KO ratio in top amateur competition dont compare it to pro which most boxers can have 90 percent ko ratio in their pro career. felix savon also knock american greats like briggs, john tate, nate jones, and also david tua from NZ in less than 3 rounds !
It depends at what point they meet. Anywhere between 1971 to 1974 Ali rips him apart. 1975 to 1976 it’s a fitgh, Ali Still beats him. 1977 Ali was to damaged, he lost to Leon Spinks
His right hand was like a Cuban missel deadly and accurate and he was also very agile fast and athletic for his size Ali Frazier and Forman would have had major problems fighting him he had all the physical size and skills to be a great heavy weight world champion I often compared him to Lennox Lewis they both had the same physical fighting style and we all know what success Lennox had in boxing so there is your answer
Possibly but many great amateurs don't make great professionals. Stevenson was phenomenal in those 3-5 round fights, how would he be going into the latter stages of a 15 round fight against a well conditioned athlete? We'll never know.
El mejor boxeador olímpico de todos los tiempos si hubiera pasado al boxeo de pago seguro que habría sido campeón mundial eso sí en la época de Ali foreman y frazier no lo creo
@@skippylegrandgourou777 it literally just changed last month. they are able to turn pro but im not sure if that means they could defect from Cuba as they please. but Cuban boxers are now able to turn pro
He was a “professional” amateur. He fought guys with way less experience than him. He never beat a single pro fighter. He was good, but since he never decided to challenge himself against the best he can never be considered great.
@@hammad9091 Are you serious? You consider a guy who was paid to train and compete in the Olympics for over a decade against REAL amateur 18-20 year olds great? Call him an amateur if you want. The free world knows what commi/socialist athletes were/are. He was a big fish in a small pond. Fact remains he beat no one in their prime. He might have been able to challenge for the tile, but who knows. He never did. Greatest would have, should have, could have, ever!
@@rocket5557yes, I absolutely consider him to be an all time great amateur. Nobody is calling him a professional great. But if you challenge his credentials as an amateur, I don’t know what to tell you.
@@rocket5557 My ignorant American friend noone forbids the boxers of your country to fight for more years in the amateur system and participate in more than one Olympic games. The problem is that in CAPITALISM fighting for your country in the Olympics generates a lot less money than fighting for one of the millions "world championship belts" that exist today. Therefore your country where there is only one God and his name is DOLLAR pushes all the young boxers out of the amateur system after one participation in the Olympics to use them as MEAT in the professional boxing industry. Your country has completely neglected the amateur boxing and this is the reason why one of the most rich in terms of boxing talent countries in the world hasn't won a Gold medal in men's boxing since 2004. If your country supported the amateur boxers more (because training for the Olympics is a full time job for many years) then they might consider stay and fight longer representing their country in the most prestigious sport organisation instead of getting the hell out to try to get rich. In Socialism the system allowes you to do it but in the so called "free" world even if an athlete wanted to fight more years in the amateur system he can't cause he will starve to death. PS The level of Olympic boxing is far superior than anything the vast majority of professional boxers have ever encounter. Only in the title fights between the best of the best in professional boxing you may find something better in terms of quality. This is the reason that the boxers that survive the Olympic games succeed almost always in the pro ranks with ease.You should study boxing more.
Why celebrate a boxer with the experience of a professional who fought amateurs his whole career? Yes, his country of Cuba prevented boxers from turning pro but the bottom lines is he was nothing but a grown man fighting children.
