greetings from germany,
martin

Wow man this was very inspirational Ross. I have nothing but the utmost respect for these youngsters. This is what it’s suppose to be about, as i stress to preach always. DEDICATION & HARDWORK!!! There’s no subsitute. Any one can get motivated from reading this Blog entry & watching these videos if they are true down to earth fighters. These kids are truly blessed. Thank You so much Ross for sharing this with us. You are the man.

This is a very inspirational post. There are a number of factors that are involved in the creation of any champion in any sport. It seems to me that Cuba has been very adept at instilling “great heart” into its’ young fighters. This is the intangible that can often overcome all the scientific advances we tend to rely on.

As for age, let’s also not forget that the Cubans train for a specific sport (amateur boxing), which is actually much different from professional boxing. The Cubans are trained specifically for their event (ie. the scoring system). The amateur vs. pro argument doesn’t make sense, as Cubans are not trained for the professional sport, and those that do defect, do so by leaving behind their Cuban trainers. Yet with that said, many who do defect are very successful as pros. One current example is Yuriorkis Gamboa who recently turned pro after winning gold in the 2004 games. He is definitely one to watch. A more established example would be Joel Casamayor. He won gold in the junior worlds back in the late 1980’s (don’t recall the exact year), and also won a gold in the 92 Olympics.

Furthermore, it’s VERY important to realize that Cuban boxers are dominant at all levels, including the junior level, and even before they turn to the open class (where the adults compete). Their kids are rich in talent. And once again, this rich talent pool (junior level) all comes from one small island. Let’s also not forget many well known US Olympians (ex. 1984 and 1988 Olympics) won their medals in a year that the Cubans did not compete. Their path was also much easier.

Ultimately, we can continue to split hairs over what could have been or should have been, but we’ll never know how Cubans would fair if they were trained specifically for the professional game. And while the debate would be entertaining, it would also be unrelated to this blog entry (and the underlying message behind it). I don’t wish to lose the real message in a debate over junior champions from Cuba.

Ross

I didn’t say that Cuban boxers succeeded *only* because they don’t turn pro, but that their successes are exaggerated on that account. Savón, and before him Teófilo Stevenson are perfect examples. Both were excellent at a young age, but (1) they were special – they weren’t surpassed by other, younger Cubans for a long time, either, and (2) they didn’t have to face such professionals as Ali, or Frazier, or Foreman (these three for Stevenson); or Holyfield (when he became a heavyweight) or Lewis (for Savón). Maybe the Cubans would have won even against those boxers (who knows?), and they were great champions in any case, but there can’t be any question that their paths to gold were easier on this account.

Many fail to realize however that Savón was already a world amateur champion at age 19. He won the world amateur championships back in 1986. The Cuban teens are already dominant. The list is long of young Cuban champions. The fact that they remain dominant has nothing to do with the success of their methods.

The fact remains that a minuscule island continues to produce champions.

Ross