Why do Cuban boxers historically underperform at Heavyweight?

I remember threads here like "What if Felix Savon had fought professionally?", and my answer has always been, he would be knocked the F out once he mixed it in with the better guys and maybe even before.
The man got dropped multiple times by non punchers in the amateur ranks, but still won the fights on points due to the current scoring method.

He would have followed the same path as the rest of the Cuban heavyweights imo, despite having a big punch himself.

Great technicians, style and punch resistance not entirely suited for the weight class.

 

Because Teofilio Stevenson, Felix Savon (A class)... did not make it to the HW pro ranks, but rather B class.

 

Because they have Glass Jaws for the most part. That and they come to America and start eating and gorging themselves at all the fast food places that they don’t have in Cuba.

 

On what planet was Odlanier Solis not A class?

 

come to think of it. maybe a more competative graph would be a chart to see how many L.A. born and bred heavies in history have been ranked in the top 10 than every cuban in at heavy.

 

What was his best win? The wind from Vitali Klitschko's punches knocked him out

Solis was a fat slob with a Glass Jaw.

 

TLDR; they all get fat!
Sanchez wasn't even a heavyweight when he turned pro.

 

Cuba is tiny. What prominent heavyweights did Barbados, Haiti, and Puerto Rico produced? John Ruiz.

The need to defect and staying long in the amateurs definitely doesn't help, but Cuba is often a victim of its own success when it comes to harsh judgement.

 

I think a lot of people underestimate how much of a toll defecting can take on a fighter. its a complete change for so.eones way of life and all the support structures they are used to.

Its like how some fighters are worse when going through a divorce, it just takes up energy, and mental and emotional capacity which was preciously dedicate do boxing.

I know some Cubans have done well at the lower weights post-defection but I'd take that more as the exception rather than the rule.

 

I mean imagine living in labor camp for 25yrs then getting a flashy condo, a million dollar signing bonus, hot ladies sipping away at your life force, infinite Latino food, cocktails & parties all around, no sane man could resist...

But is it really lack of discipline on their part or is it where they move? Is it not the Evil West corrupting their souls with its vices? Retired athletes don't get bloated in China or Cuba, so it's the set and setting that matters and their Commie belly are not used to take on sugared, fattened & pumped up unnatural US American food.

 

i think that is a little survivor bias, after the fall of the wall the eastern invasion wasn't an immidiate success.

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am record: 104W-15L
world champion
european champion
olympic silver medalist

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/72273

pro game... 0-2-1

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3 time russian and soviet champion, captain of soviet team going into US vs soviet meets (back when it meant something) 30 fight unbeaten before going into olympics. multi world scene competitor.

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/26929
pro game
moved to japan,
got an 8-0 record, just couldnt get his career going (this will be a familiar theme)

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olympic gold medalist.
european silver
multi title holding champion

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/5765
goes pro
in japan
30-1
holds a domestic belt. just cannot get into the world circuit. too old by the time he loses and dissappears into the ether.

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long time reigning champ
great world championship competitor
olympic medalist.
knocked down bowe twice but loses (it's the 88 olympics, scorecards are nonsense.)

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/16132

goes pro
fights often all around the world
gets to 21-0 against no true challenge (ross puritty surprsingly)
fights all the way to nothing.
losing to a kazahk miner on his debut called oleg maskaev


sooo many more of course Aleksandr Lebziak, Magomed Aripgadzhiyev, Sergey Kobozev etc.

 

but main point. you can have talent, you can have expereince but there is nothing that is proving your worth. for cuba they were producing a farm where anyone who was shot would become the next generation of trainers and support.

listen to most of the early guys who turned over from cuba. joel casamayor got a bike for winning a gold medal. sold it for a pig that he had a feast in the nieghbourhood with. this is 90's cuba. not 80's cuba where financial support from the east was given. not the 00's cuba where tourism was accepted. you had the 97 cuban hotel bombing. cuba was a poweder keg.
the conveyor belt hiccuped and you had a literally any one who defected who had any expereince at anything close to swinging a bat or putting on gloves. was a way to get paid. cuban defectors are coddled in florida. and are propaganda peices. team freedom the promoter group wasnt just about signing cuban ams and getting them to a world title. it was also under a sort of charity, humanitarian work. i think that why you had so many cubans not go down the florida route in the mid 00's and went to ireland or germany.

ex soviet fighters had an advantage by the late 90's. you had local domestic scenes that could support their ambitions. not like the fall of soviet systems in 1988-1995. you had a domestic class that would pay to watch boxing. you then had other countries export and create anexations to benefit their fighters. the trainers and the coaches were going with them. even going back home to train if needs be. when universum put the money down and eastern wester german politcs buried the hatchet to create a multi tiered events company.
well then its different. if you aren't good enough. you are told you are not good enough. if you get options you can choose to take those options. and maybe even negotiate with other promoters.

cubans dont have that advantage. usually what major deal they are given is the pro-manager for their career.
they would usually be older because they are at the the peak of their ams system, so it becomes a "get a deal quick or else".
and even if they are not good enough. some are trotted out and not put to pasture.


soooooo

to conclude.

there are more cubans than before.
they are older when the turn over.
their government is only now being lenient on pro boxing.
standards of life in cuba have improved
other nations have put huge national finance to boxing, cuba doesnt and still beyond competative.

 

I think we are beginning to reach a consensus here on this thread. It comes down often to a lack of physical fitness and being overweight and not able to maintain a high enough output.

You very rarely see Eastern European HWs out of shape. I can’t think of a seriously in shape Cuban HW who didn’t need a gas mask applied to them after throwing punches for 1 minute without a break.

If you want to boil this down even further it’s a lack of discipline and lack of hard work in camp and outside of camp.