Thread: Greatest Cuban Boxers of all time

Stevenson was born in Jamaica if I am not correct. Makes for an interesting discussion, but I'm not going there.

Originally Posted by holmcall

Stevenson was born in Jamaica if I am not correct. Makes for an interesting discussion, but I'm not going there.

Looked it up & yes he was Cuban, although his parents were immigrants from other Caribbean countries.

Taeth, I was considering putting Rigondeaux in, simply because he is one of those I have actually seen a lot of in my lifetime, but decided against it because I knew I would get stick for the amateurs I had as it is, but for me it was close between him & Ramos.

On the discussion about Cubans staying in Cuba, I have to say as much as I would have loved to see some of these guys go pro, I have to say I admire the patriotism of some of their fighters. I think particularly of Savon's comments after Don King's $10m offer to him. Anyway I'll leave that topic alone before it gets turned into some debate about Cuba's politics

Someone used Mario Kindelan, even though he was a great amateur, maybe the second best ever, he still wasn't as good as Rigondeaux. I don't think you should get any problems putting Rigondeaux up there, I still think based on his record, based on the fact he almost undefeated even against Cuban fighters that he should be one of the best boxers to have ever laced up, its easy to see after watching him fight. He's impossibly fluid, a Roy JOnes Jr type counter puncher, who can do it all.

Originally Posted by holmcall

Stevenson was born in Jamaica if I am not correct. Makes for an interesting discussion, but I'm not going there.

hHHMM. I am not correct!

Originally Posted by Taeth

Someone used Mario Kindelan, even though he was a great amateur, maybe the second best ever, he still wasn't as good as Rigondeaux. I don't think you should get any problems putting Rigondeaux up there, I still think based on his record, based on the fact he almost undefeated even against Cuban fighters that he should be one of the best boxers to have ever laced up, its easy to see after watching him fight. He's impossibly fluid, a Roy JOnes Jr type counter puncher, who can do it all.

Yeah I went for both Kindelan & Hernandez as better than him, although I admit this may be that when I was watching all of them (which was when I was a teenager) I tended to be more interested in watching the fighters at higher weights & was more impressed, although I did remember the Rigondeaux as 'the really good little guy with a long name'. It was only really the last Olympics that I started watching fighters below Lightweight with any real interest so this may be why I don't rate him as high as you.

Also I'm just wondering if you saw Kindelan's final fight with Khan, one of the most blatant set-ups that I've ever seen in giving the fight to Khan so as to set him up nicely for the pros

Id go with Kid Chocolate.

I've seen it, but I've seen more of 2000 and 2004 olympics Kindelan, and he isn't in Rigondeaux league, he is slower, less skilled as counter puncher, less p4p power, less movement.

I am not sure when you were a teenager, but Guillermo was 19 when he won his first gold medal in Sidney, and he wasn't well known then, but in 2004 he dominated everyone he fought, and won gold easily. Except for 2 loses when he was 17 and 1 loss when he was 18, he only lost once over the next 6 years until he wasn't allowed to box anymore.

RIgondeaux developped, faster, lost less,

Here are Kindelan's accomplishments

• 1998 World Cup Champion
• 1999 Pan-American Games Champion
• 1999 World Champion
• 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist
• 2001 World Champion
• 2003 World Champion
• 2003 Pan-American Games Champion
• 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist

Here are Rigondeaux's career:

Batamweight national amateur champion from 2000-2006
World champion (01, 02, 05)
World cup champ(02, 05)
Panam champ(03)
Central American games gold medalist (06)
Nations Cup cahmpion (06)
2000 and 2004 gold medalist in the Olympics.

The biggest difference is that Kindelan was born in 71 and Rigondeaux was born in 1980, yet they competed in the two same olympics, they both were dominant around the same time, but Kindelan wasn't as good at such an early age. Rigondeaux was only 25 when he career was finished, Kindelan was 34, yet Rigondeaux won more international competitions, won just as many gold medals in the Olympics(could have won 4 by the time he got to Kindelan's age). Lost way less.

Just watch this at 4:39
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXdDhg9lr4k

Hernandez was good, but he can't compare to either of these two in accomplishments or just purely in terms of skill.

Are you sure Florentino Fernandez was a bigger puncher than Savon who ko'ed both Tua and Brewster with amateur gear on? I think it would be an honest competition between those two of who punched harder.

Originally Posted by Taeth

Are you sure Florentino Fernandez was a bigger puncher than Savon who ko'ed both Tua and Brewster with amateur gear on? I think it would be an honest competition between those two of who punched harder.

The first list is The Ring's list of 10 best pro Cubans. The second list is my own.

Checked that clip of Rigondeaux & all i can say is wow. I must have missed a lot of him during those Olympics, I thought I saw a fair bit of him 2004, but I must have missed that, like I said I was 18 & probably more focused on drinkin and/or sex @ the time. I know I saw him in the final & I was impressed, but I'm gonna have to look for more of him. Safe 4 that

I would have it the same minus Tunero since I'm not familiar with him...
Instead of him I'd have Isaac Logart.

Originally Posted by CutMeMick

It's gotta be Kid Gavilan at #1.

Yeah. Casamayor second

Originally Posted by JazMerkin

Originally Posted by Lyle

There is no freaking way Stevenson is better than Gavilan!!!! At least Kid fought in the PROS!!!!


I agree with the first list....but Savon and Stevenson belong on the list.


People think Savon and Stevenson would be great pros just because they were great amateurs but hell Jorge Luis Gonzales was 6'7 and an awesome amateur fighter, he beat Riddick Bowe AND Lennox Lewis in the amateurs and then went on to be a pro and went 31 (27 KO)- 8 and 7 losses by KO, some of his good losses came at the hands of the all-time greats Cliff Couser, Derek Bryant, Michael Grant, and Ross Purrity.

I've seen more of Stevenson than Gavilan, and from what I saw I thought he was marginally better, although obviously its quite subjective because of the difference in amateur & professional class. Also I think the amateurs I have included were guys who would have been very successful professionals

I know that ! because Gaviilan had more heart and balls than Stevenson ,he was also better boxing
Stevenson had only one big problem : he was a coward

Originally Posted by Taeth

Are you sure Florentino Fernandez was a bigger puncher than Savon who ko'ed both Tua and Brewster with amateur gear on? I think it would be an honest competition between those two of who punched harder.

Hey man I saw Florentino boxing , you didn't ,he was able to KO a guy with any hand and a KO that doctors had to go and help the guy

The Cuban boxing tradition is a testament to how good fighters can get if you let them fight each other. If you look at the brackets for the Playa Giron and how often the top guys fought each other, you understand why they are so good. The communist system gets too much credit for their success, they had a professional boxing tradition before Castro outlawed professional boxing. It's true that some of their amateur success came because they were men against boys but the truth of the matter is, when they come here and turn professional, guys are not lining up to fight them. When you fight in Florida, the fans come out to support their guys. It will be interesting to see if this generation of defecting Cuban fighters trains another competitive generation of Cubans in south Florida.