Ariel B. Coya

ONCE, during his recovery from a heart problem, Teófilo Stevenson asserted that in life, as in boxing, champions don't retire, they don't surrender and they never, ever, give up a fight. Thus, when he died June 11, his name was spoken everywhere, by everyone and memories of him occupied our hearts and minds.

They always will, because he was among the greatest ever inside the ring, and a good man beyond it, becoming one of the most outstanding figures in the sport, never letting the glory blind him. He was always a gentleman.

At just 17 years of age, he won the admiration of all present when he took the silver medal at the 1969 Playa Girón Tournament, which led to his training with Ukrainian Andrei Chervonenko and Alcides Sagarra. Success, however, did not come overnight, as might be assumed.

It was after his defeat by U.S. champion Duane Bobick in the Cali '71 Pan American Games, that he emerged as the extraordinary boxer who went on to win three Olympic titles, three World Championships and innumerable heavyweight trophies, with 302 victories in 321 fights over his career, inspiring the International Olympic Committee to include him on their list of the Top 10 athletes of the 20th century.

In Munich ’72, he won all of his fights with knock-outs and extra-officially became Cuba’s first boxing champion, given that Romanian Ion Alexe failed to appear. Stevenson came back to avenge his loss to Bobick, "the Great White Hope," knocking him down three times during the third round, which led Robert Surkein, leader of the U.S. Boxing Federation, to say, "The Stevenson I saw defeat Bobick was, at that time, better than Clay who won the 81 kilos in Rome ’60; better than Frazier and Foreman who won the next higher weight division in Tokyo ’64 and Mexico ’68."

Stevenson's opponent in the semifinals, German Peter Hussing, would later comment that never before, in his 212 amateur fights, had he been subjected to such punishment, "You don't have time to see his right-hand punch and when you do, it's because it’s hitting your chin."

His style and the power of his punches were so devastating that Enmanuel Steward said of Teo, "He is the most perfectly balanced fighter I have ever seen."

It wasn't long before his virtues attracted professional boxing agents who were salivating to promote what was being called the Fight of the Century, between Stevenson and Muhammad Ali.

"He would be phenomenal as a professional", said an ecstatic Don King. While Muhammad Ali's manager, Angelo Dundee, offered, "Everyone wanted Teófilo. I was never after him, I had the champion. I had Ali. I had the individual who was going to beat him. You see? But everyone wanted Teófilo, and I'm saying everyone. They were going to give him a million dollars. And a million dollars was a lot of money back then."

Stevenson responded to these offers, reaffirming his Cuban identity with that famous comeback, "I prefer the affection of eight million Cubans. I wouldn't exchange a piece of Cuba for any amount of money you could offer me."

Thus, the much anticipated fight never happened, for many reasons, although

Teófilo, with his usual modesty said, "Ali has said many times that the fight would have been a tie and I think so, too."

Retired since 1988, he never strayed far from the ring, returning for those fierce bouts with Pinar del Río’s Angel Milián which unleashed public euphoria. Just last week, during the Córdova Cardín Tournament, he was seen smiling, having a great time, always true to his passion for boxing.