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by Cliff Rold - From the perspective of a professional boxing fan, it has to be considered among the great tragedies of fistiana. Kid Chocolate, Kid Gavilan, Jose Napoles, Luis Rodriguez; Cuba had given the sport some of its finest.
After the rise of Castro, Cuba continued to do just that.
They just kept them almost entirely contained to the amateur ranks.
For hardcore fight followers, it can be a nice parlor game to play ‘what if’ with some of the great Cubans of the last fifty-plus years who couldn’t turn professional. Heavyweights Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon, Middleweight Ariel Hernandez, Lightweight Mario Kindelan…what’s if’s all around.
There have been just enough defections over the years to make cases, positive and negative, for what might have been. Joel Casamayor had a borderline Hall of Fame career, winning titles at 130 and 135 lbs. Odlanier Solis ate himself out of the running early in his Heavyweight tenure.
Right now, Jr. Featherweight Guillermo Rigondeuax, Jr. Lightweight Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Jr. Middleweight Erislandy Lara are all trying to get to the top of their divisions. All look capable of doing it. [Click Here To Read More]
After the rise of Castro, Cuba continued to do just that.
They just kept them almost entirely contained to the amateur ranks.
For hardcore fight followers, it can be a nice parlor game to play ‘what if’ with some of the great Cubans of the last fifty-plus years who couldn’t turn professional. Heavyweights Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon, Middleweight Ariel Hernandez, Lightweight Mario Kindelan…what’s if’s all around.
There have been just enough defections over the years to make cases, positive and negative, for what might have been. Joel Casamayor had a borderline Hall of Fame career, winning titles at 130 and 135 lbs. Odlanier Solis ate himself out of the running early in his Heavyweight tenure.
Right now, Jr. Featherweight Guillermo Rigondeuax, Jr. Lightweight Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Jr. Middleweight Erislandy Lara are all trying to get to the top of their divisions. All look capable of doing it. [Click Here To Read More]
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