Cuban Amateur Legend, Félix Savón

I always believed he could have been really good if Emanuel Steward trained him in pros, he had great reach power, jab straight right i just think Steward would fit him the best, but we will never know...

 

No they shouldn't!
The Sydney '91 WC gold he got knocked down twice in the final, and clearly lost the fight according to most of the viewers and the attending public.
He was just lucky he was the bigger name and got the nod of the judges, while the public booed him.

So he might be robbed of a gold, but he robbed someone of a gold medal too.




He clearly was a legend though, but you never know how he would have done as a pro.

 

Worth pointing out that the silver he won was only because he boycotted the final.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bennett_(boxer)

 

Savon was a grown 30 year old man while Chagaev was a teenager, yet Chagaev is 2-1 against him. Go preach your crap somewhere else.

And I guess Chagaev is not black enough for you even though he beat Savon twice, huh? :yep

 

That's the biggest 200 lb fighter that I've ever seen. You guys sure he is only 6'5? He looks way taller than the 6'4 Briggs. Tua looks tiny in there with him.

As far as his chin is concerned, I don't think it would be an issue. In the pros he would put on some muscle and that would sturdy him up a bit. It sure worked for Tua.

 

Well the class difference between the two could be summarized with their participation in the olimpic games:

Savón was three times champion ...
Chagajev was eliminated early in both two olimpic games he participated

... and please do not forget that Savón defeated Chagajev as well ...

 

Yes, Savon is a more accomplished amateur, but that doesn't change the fact he lost twice against Chagaev.

No ****, Chagaev was just starting his career, while Savon was right in his prime, yet Savon got defeated twice.

Chagaev is 2-1 against Savon, doesn't mean Savon wasn't a great amateur, but it's true.

 

Stevenson had one of the nastiest right hands that has ever existed. He also fought the better part of his career with no headgear, and his chin was good. Take this along with his steadier footwork, and I think he is superior. Savon, while great, had some ugly footwork that looked at times like running. This would not have served him well as a pro.

 

Savon has the better resume in the amateurs, but Ruslan "the Savon Slayer" Chagaev wins the H2H matches when he was a kid and Savon was a world-beater. :deal

 

well explain me this, at the age Savon was a kid 19-22 years , he was already twice world champion (in Reno in 1986 and in Moskow in 1989) and didn't win the olympic games in 1988 only because of the boycott ...

 

What's to explain? He's an ATG amateur. Chagaev had his number. Mosley > Vernon Forrest, but who won their matches?

 

Another point to consider when speculating how good savon could have been as a pro, which i'm not sure has been mentioned yet is the fact that he was actually the "cruiserweight" olympic champion. his golds are in the under 91kg (200lbs) not in the top division.

 

Good point. His height and reach are SHW like though, I guess that's why people think he would have competed at HW had he turned pro, even though he competed at "CW" in the amateurs :think

 

I'm sure he would have competed at heavyweight though, plenty of successful <91kg amateurs have gone on to compete successfully at hw in the pros, like; solis, haye, sultan ibragimov, krasniqi, tua, golota and mercer.
I think Savon would have been more successful than all of these,
But i think that the boxers that were successful at super heavyweight in the amateurs have gone on to be better in the pros, such as povetkin, lewis, wlad, bowe, biggs, vitali

 

For your information, Savón ( like all Cuban amateur greats ) won his first Gold at age 18 ( World Championships ) and then kept getting better and better. Since there's no pro sports in Cuba ( officially ) they have no choice but to stay as amateurs for their entire career and then yes they face much younger and much inexperienced youngsters. But they were also " stars " at 18, 19 and 20 years old!

But this guy was a total beast ( just like Cuban HV great Stevenson ). He had tremendous 1 punch KO power in that lethal right hand and also had unseen movement for a HV. He was 6'5 or 6'6 and new excatly how to use his great distance. His footwork was fenomenal for a HV. In other words, Felix Savón would had been a great pro Champion if given the opportunity, no doubt! His only problem would be the same problem that all Cuban amateurs face " freedom ". For him to have shined at the pros he would have to stay 100% focused and dedicated, as this is where many of the other Cuban amateurs have failed at " dedication " in a free Country.

And he is not the only one, Cuba has produced " hundreds " of amateur greats that never had the opportunity to showcase their talents at the pro level. It's fairly easy to say that if Communism never arrived in Cuba that Cuba would be today the #1 Latin Country with the most Champions in every single weight class.

Don't believe me? Think that I am just exaggerating because I am Cuban? Just look at how with a very small group of Cuban defectors they are starting to dominate their divisions ( Gamboa, Rigondeaux and YP Hernandez ) so just imagine if the whole Cuban boxing population ( inside the Island ) started competing in the pros. No offense to any Country and much credit to your Champions, but Cuba has always been the true powerhouse in Boxing and Baseball.

One day, all of you will see what I mean ...