Angel Herrera

Recently I have been trying to find out about Cuban boxing and some of the most notable fighters. I want to know the deal about Angel Herrera. He won two Olympic golds by the time he was 22. One in the featherweight division and one in the lightweight division. He also won two world championships, defeating Pernell Whittaker to win his second. However after this I cannot seem to find any information on him. What happened to him. He was so young he could have realistically gone to 5 Olympics. Can anybody shed some light on his career

Welcome to the boxing board, ITFL!

Hopefully someone can assist, however I'm not that man unfortunately.

Thanks, the fact I can't find anything makes me more intrigued

Looks like he stayed amateur as there is no pro record of him. He lost to Whittaker in the 1983 Pan American games final, a year after beating him at the world championships. After that I got squat. You'll have to wait until Windy see's this and there's no doubt he'll be able to help.

As far as I can remember he retired around the time of the 1984 Olympics to coach for some of the Cuban teams. I cant recall if this was a result of not participating in the Olympics or simply a personal decision to retire though but he did not box on after that and got into coaching.

The Cuban boycott of the 1984 games probably prompted him to retire I would guess.

Found this on the En Caribe website. Translated in Google so apologies if the some of the english is a bit poor.

Angel Herrera Vera (1957). Boxeador cubano de las divisiones de los 57 y 60 kilogramos. Cuban Boxer divisions 57 and 60 kilograms. Doble campeón olímpico (Montreal, 1976 y Moscú, 1980) y mundial (Belgrado, 1978 y Munich, 1982). Double Olympic champion (Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980) and global (Belgrade, 1978, Munich, 1982).

Angel Herrera was born in Guantanamo on August 2, 1957. His beginnings in boxing were somewhat late, he decided to step into the ring with sixteen years of age. In the next three years was largely his class, and technicians began to look at it. In 1972 she won the gold medal in the 60 kg division at the Junior National Championship.
The following year he participated in his first national championship Playa Giron, the main event taking place in Cuba, which are the best figures of the country. The lid was held in the city of Camaguey, where chances were few and inexperienced newcomer Angel Herrera at featherweight because other names were better known and better Results: Mariano Alvarez, Genovevo Griñán, Reinaldo Brea and Alberto Valiente, among other. However, Angel Herrera reached the final and lost to Grin, and that result opened the doors to the national pre-selection for the Olympic Games in Montreal.

Months before the Olympics, and now with better training and higher fitness, Herrera won the Giraldo Cordova Cardin international tournament, showing that, despite his 18 years, was the leading figure in his country in the division of 57 kilograms. Claude Zaraov beat German, 5-0, young compatriot Jose Aguilar, 4-1 and, for non-submission of the Soviet Gennady Saculin, won the gold medal.
He was the representative of the Cuban boxing, in the featherweights in the Montreal Olympics (1976). In his debut, got knockout in the first assault on the Indian Walk Rai. Exceeded 5-0, in his second start, Venezuelan Angel Pacheco, in the quarterfinals, the American Davey Armstrong, 3-2, and Mexico's Juan Paredes semifinals, 5-0. In the discussion of the gold medal had as a rival to Richard Nowakowski German name, and sent him to the canvas in the second assault. Thus it became a revelation.

In the following seasons was confirmed as the first boxer in his country, and the ranking of the division worldwide. He won the national championship Playa Giron and international Giraldo Cordova Cardin in 1977. He won the first stop Cuba-US bilateral, held in Houston, and had no trouble to succeed in the Central American Championship of Panama against Colombian Carlos Amador, 4-1.

In 1978 he debuted in lides of the world tournament in Belgrade, with the approval of the title of his country and other international victories. In the Yugoslav capital available in their first fight, RSC, Japanese Hiroshi Ganube. He went on to the next round for non-submission of Romanian Ioana Viorel, and the final having won the Polish Roman Gotfrid, 5-0. In a great battle, won the gold medal against the Yugoslav Borislav Ristic, ratified as the first boxer in the world in his division. However, later that year was defeated in a controversial refereeing decision 1-2, against Bernard Taylor, the third stop Cuba-US bilateral, held in New York.

In 1979, reissued their victory in the national championship, but could not hold the title in the Giraldo Cordova Cardin international tournament, falling in the final match against compatriot Sollet Jesus.
In the Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after beating local Barnabas Montanes, lost again to Bernard Taylor. . Had the advantage on the ballot of the judges, but the fight was stopped by a deep wound he suffered in his right cheekbone. With this result, it was out of the awards podium.
In 1980 he lost the national title against Adolfo Horta , a young prodigy, who years later was considered one of the best Cuban boxers in history. The technical committee decided to upload it to boxing division of 60 kilograms, for it found it difficult to make weight at 57. The new division achieved successes against Davey Armstrong at the top Cuba-United States, Charlotte, and earned a gold medal and a silver in his European tour. Also recovered the crown of the Giraldo Cordova Cardin tournament, and was taken into account to represent Cuba at the Olympic Games in Moscow.At the meeting in Moscow, performed the feat of a second gold medal in a new division.
His most important victory won in the 1981 World Cup, in which he defeated Johnny Kalbhom Canadian, Australian Brian Tink and the Soviet Viktor Rybakov. The following year was elected in the lightweight division to fight for the crown, despite not having good results in the usual tour of Europe.

The Orb Championship German city of Munich, Herrera started off Japan Jukito Arai, whom he defeated 5-0. In the second fight won by KO in the initial assault by Israeli Barrare Kasemi, the third, the Tunisian Lopti Belkhir, in the second round. In the semifinals beat Romanian Viorel Ioanna, 4-1, and in the end defeated American Pernel Whitaker, 3-2.

With two Olympic and world titles, Angel Herrera participated in 1983 in their second and last Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela. Obtuvo victorias sobre Ramón Gil (Venezuela), Leonardo Solís (Panamá) y Alberto Cortés (Argentina), que lo condujeron nuevamente a la final frente a Whitaker. He earned wins over Ramon Gil (Venezuela), Leonardo Solis (Panama) and Alberto Cortes (Argentina), who took him back to the final against Whitaker. The Cuban beat and good rhythm beating fight for three rounds, but the five judges saw it lose.
In a gesture of solidarity with the USSR, Cuba in 1984 did not attend the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, United States, where Herrera may have reached its third crown. He took part in the Friendship Games, with athletes from socialist countries, and once again won the gold medal.
After these triumphs decided to retire from active sport. . There was a boxer in technique or style virtuoso, but he hit a powerful rhythm with heavy exchanges and a powerful punch with both hands, which made ​​him almost unbeatable in the ring. . In his extensive record went on to win 225 fights, with only 12 reversals.

Six times champion of his country, and seven times in international tournaments Giraldo Cordova Cardin, was chosen from among the hundred best Cuban athletes of the twentieth century.

http://www.encaribe.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=398:angel-herrera&catid=96:deporte&Itemid=100

Love the translation programme, but it's generally understandable. Well done Pickle for finding this. I guess he is now in the Where are they now? category

Not doing to good by the sounds of it in this article.
http://www.encaribe.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=398:angel-herrera&catid=96:deporte&Itemid=100

"Angel Herrera recalls its glorious days of unbeatable fighter and can not hide his tears. He sits in his modest apartment in the suburb of Alamar, east of Havana, and speaks wistfully of the days when he climbed to the top of world boxing punches fierce pace, grabbing two separate titles and Olympic champion.

Today the legendary lightweight lefty walks with difficulty, dragging half his body. The car he got for his athletic feats it rented to individuals who use it as illegal taxi for a living.

"Boxing was not like now,''he confesses Herrera." Now the fighters are paid all the medals they bring ... We are the we gave''. We climbed into the ring with the honor of those four letters [Cuba], in honor of a people was watching you.'

Again translated so apologies for the english.

Many thanks for this, again. Another tragic, but very human tale.

bhb001 wrote:Many thanks for this, again. Another tragic, but very human tale.

No problem!

Thanks for this! I failed to find much - fascinating story.