Teofilo Stephenson-could have been GOAT heavyweight

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by jlrivera81, Jul 26, 2008.


  1. jlrivera81

    jlrivera81 Well-Known Member Full Member

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    man, i have never heard of this guy until today. check out this tribute video. he was a cuban fighter during Ali's time i believe. unfortunatley he wasnt able to become a pro. but based on these few highlights, he would have been a force. his power was absolutely amazing. what do you guys think?

    [YT]sOB7_BFqUeU[/YT]
     
  2. stevebhoy87

    stevebhoy87 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    He certainly had the tools to go far professionally,wicked power, good jad andine if the best rights i've ever seen, difficult to predict just how good he could have been as a pro as there is a massive difference between pro and amatuer
     
  3. The Italarican

    The Italarican Pretty Good Poster Full Member

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    I've heard a lot of great things about Stephenson (as well as Felix Savon), but I'd never seen footage until this. He looks like he had a really good combination of speed and power and could fight from the outside and inside. However, less than halfway in I knew how every KO was going to turn out from then on: straight right up top. This was likely his trademark punch, but I rarely saw this guy throw a hook and few with any conviction. Maybe he was more diverse than the footage suggests, but I'd have to see a little more variety to his offense before being convinced had the goods necessary (a chin test wouldn't hurt either).
     
  4. bernie4366

    bernie4366 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    bull****. He was a pro who fought amateurs, no wonder he has some good clips. Foreman, Ali, Frazier would crush his ass without breaking a sweat.
     
  5. Zaryu

    Zaryu Boxing Addict Full Member

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    He did look like a pro fighting amateurs, but it doesn't really take the credit away from his accomplishments.
     
  6. jaco

    jaco Thomas Hearns Full Member

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    Both he and Savon had questionable chins in the amateurs, it could have been a problem had they turned pro. That's not to say they couldn't have had great careers.
     
  7. cjgloves

    cjgloves Active Member Full Member

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    ye i dont know now but cubans wern't allowed to become pro. they were only allowed to fight for cuba or summut like that. a cuban guy told me bout it once when i went cuba =D
     
  8. WiDDoW_MaKeR

    WiDDoW_MaKeR ESB Hall of Fame Member Full Member

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    Igor Vysotsky fought him twice, and beat him both times. Knocked him out in their second fight.
     
  9. Jason997

    Jason997 Active Member Full Member

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  10. Zakman

    Zakman ESB's Chinchecker Full Member

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    Exactly. It is a stretch to assume that a fighter who was an outstanding amateur is also gonna excel in the pros. One only needs to look at the relatively mediocre pro career of one of the most successul U.S. amateurs of all time, Mark Breland, for evidence of this.
     
  11. bernie4366

    bernie4366 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Not to mention he fought three round fights his entire career. This thread is a joke.
     
  12. D-MAC

    D-MAC Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Well said Jaco:good

    If you mention Stevenson in this argument, then you also have to mention Savon.

    We don't know how they would have coped with the pro-game, and we will never know. Alot of guys have come through who look like they have everything, but they don't always enjoy A grade careers.

    To make knee-jerk statements like (could have been) GOAT regarding a guy who never mixed it with the best in his division (when both were in their primes) is guesswork at its most extreme.