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"The first time I fought Savon I lost a 4-1 decision in the quarterfinals of the 1987 Pan Am Games," said Bentt. "Then I fought him a week later at the North American championships and lost, 3-2. To me, he utilizes everything to perfection -- his height, his jab, his power and his intimidation. The Cuban fighters smell fear in their opponents. If they can intimidate you, they've got you. They psychologically steamroll guys."
Shannon Briggs fought Savon at the 1991 Pan Am Games. "I'll give Savon his credit," said Briggs. "He won the fight. But I think he took advantage of the system. He was a man fighting kids. That's the case with a lot of these Cuban fighters. They're 28, 29, 30 fighting kids, 19, 20, 21. That's a big advantage physically and mentally."
There has been much debate over what kind of pros Savon and Stevenson would have made. Don King once offered Savon $10 million to turn pro. His response was, "What do I need $10 million for when I have 11 million Cubans behind me."
Hurtado, who calls Savon a friend, said he was a great fighter but pointed out that he was knocked out 18 times throughout his illustrious career. It should be acknowledged that many of those came in lesser competitions where it could be argued that Savon wasn't as focused as he would have been for the Olympics. But it should also be noted that they occurred against lesser opposition, while wearing headgear and using larger gloves. Nonetheless, his ability to take a punch, particularly in the pro ranks, would have been the biggest question mark confronting Savon.
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I remember hearing the 10 million was to fight Tyson and Savon turned it down.
. How about Savon against Lewis as amataurs? I'd have Savon winning it! But Lewis winning in the pros! But then again we just never know haw Savon would have bloomed as a pro do we?? 
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