Both him and Stephenson were the best heavyweights of modern era to never fight for a title. I believe he offered to fight an amateur exhibition against anybody and was turned down.
He won his first world championships at 19 and would have won a gold medal at seoul 88 if cuba had participated. The gold medal was won by Ray Mercer who he had beaten before. He beat Axel Schultz who was 22 at the at the time of the fight. He also beat kirk johnson who was just four years younger, darryl williamson one year younger lamon brewster five yrs younger. So the people he fought werent that much younger than him and besides he was fighting at the highest level in amateur and winning at 19. If he wouldve been living any other place but cuba a promoter would have paid millions of dollars just to sign him after the 1986 world chamionships. Hell they've wouldve paid millions after the 1992 olimpics and he was already 25 then. :hat
yes he did! even my countryman Arnold Vanderlijde who wasn't a big hitter by a long shot knocked him down in a bout (or even twice i believe). So if he is capable of that, the big hitting pro's of that time would have 'ragdolled' the man i believe.
in the fight where savon beat mercer, it was a usa v cuba match and the usa team could get no american heavy to fight the young savon who was considered unbeatable, so they called on a 25th ranked unknown army fighter called ray mercer. mercer walked through savon, the cuban ref doing anything and everything to keep mercer at bay he hurt savon quite a few times in the fight, mercer showed savon no respect and went to war. savon got the descion, which was disputable. savon was a truely great amatuer and would have been a very good pro, but sadly we do not no just how good. also he was a cruiserweight as an amatuer as heavy was 201 limit and under. but he would have been in his prime when tyson and lewis and bowe were at the top
bent says savon was a beast beat him 4-1 and 3-2 the mercer v savon fight was in the boxing news a british publication, but i cannot remember the year only that it was a usa v cuba match and that mercer was then ranked the 25th american amatuer heavy and he was in the army still.
it's been suggested and no disrespect to possibly the great AM of all time but some have said (even in this thread) that he didn't want to face fighters on a more even plane. i don't know enough to argue one side or the other but he was facing MUCH younger opponents at times and he had already grown into his frame; he wouldn't have any of those advantages in the pros.
This. There is no dobut that Cuban boxers are among the most skilled in the world. Some of the recent defectors are now eather at world class level or showing the skills that will most likely make them world class. However not every Cuban amature great who turns pro has been or will br a world class pro boxer. Also a lot of their amature secuess comes from beating still devloping boxers while they are way a head in terms of experance.
that and the "team effort" and supervision of the cuban system ensures their asses are in shape. look at solis: he came to america and apparently ate a small child on the way over. in the amateurs they are always training, always in shape and can be at their best. in the pros, you can run over to mcdonalds