Cuban Boxing

In a few years after the Castro dynasty ends, we'll see many top class Cubans join the pro ranks at an early age. That should shake things up a little.

How do you guys think the likes of Teo Stephenson and FRelix Savon would have fared had they turned pro? Stephenson was practically given a blank cheque to defect and turn pro but he refused. Ditto Savon. Imo both would have been greats, especially Stephenson. I remember his KO of John tate in which Tate went to sit in the Cuban corner. Devestating puncher with a superb jab, great defence and very fast hands and feet.

Gamboa, Rigondeaux and even Lara show the cubans have a heritage for producing great talent and still do. Hope they don't turn pro to soon because the cubans have been very good for amateur boxing.

Will it? Is his brother not running the country at the moment, and don't think it will change that much, unless im ignorant to some information.

prettyboy1304 wrote:Gamboa, Rigondeaux and even Lara show the cubans have a heritage for producing great talent and still do. Hope they don't turn pro to soon because the cubans have been very good for amateur boxing.

Incredible isn't it? A small island with 10m people produced more olympic champs than any other country. Didn't they win 6 Golds in Beijing? Casamayor proved how good he was when he turned pro at age 28. Classy boxer. Who knows how good he could have been had be turned pro at 20.

Think their long amateur careers are a help to them rather than a hinderance. Gamboa looks like he could outbox any fighter on the planet to a UD.

prettyboy1304 wrote:Think their long amateur careers are a help to them rather than a hinderance. Gamboa looks like he could outbox any fighter on the planet to a UD.

He could have been a champ for longer and more longer period in his prime. Yes their amateur career helped a great deal. It almost fast tracked him to a title shot. Gamboa looks quality also.

Think their amateur careers do help though. A lot of fighters turn pro to early imo Khan did.

prettyboy1304 wrote:Think their amateur careers do help though. A lot of fighters turn pro to early imo Khan did.

True. Apparently Cuban ameteurs are state sponsored and dont do other jobs. In short amateru boxing is their job. More pro than not. They have excellent trainers, but often more suited to the new style of amateur judging which could be a hinderance in a pro career if they stay that way for too long.

Don't know if you seen Dspaigne vs Syllakh the other week on ESPN but 2 excellent amateurs and it was a boxing exhibition especially from Syllakh who was different class.

prettyboy1304 wrote:Don't know if you seen Dspaigne vs Syllakh the other week on ESPN but 2 excellent amateurs and it was a boxing exhibition especially from Syllakh who was different class.

Never seen or heard of either of them.

Despaigne is a cuban gold medalist turned pro after th 08 olympics and Syllakh is Eastern European and had more than 300 amateur fights. Both are ranked top 10 at light heavy. It was a great fight no blood and thunder stuff but a boxing masterclass more from Syllakh in the later rounds but very enjoyable.

prettyboy1304 wrote:Despaigne is a cuban gold medalist turned pro after th 08 olympics and Syllakh is Eastern European and had more than 300 amateur fights. Both are ranked top 10 at light heavy. It was a great fight no blood and thunder stuff but a boxing masterclass more from Syllakh in the ;ater rounds but very enjoyable.

Where is Despaigne fighting out of? How old is he? There was a Ukrainian boxer who won the Val Baker award at the last Games. I wonder if he has turned pro yet. His style looked well suited to the pro game.

Despaigne is about 28 and fights out of Miami

prettyboy1304 wrote:Despaigne is about 28 and fights out of Miami

Ok. Lets hope he keeps his discipline. The higher weights in recent years have been disappointing imo. Name me a decent LHW since RJJ.

Not many Bhop would be their though. Their is a few decent looking ones just now. I like Cloud, Dawson and Cleverly not to mention Froch has ambitions of moving up it's a decent weight.

prettyboy1304 wrote:Not many Bhop would be their though. Their is a few decent looking ones just now. I like Cloud, Dawson and Cleverly not to mention Froch has ambitions of moving up it's a decent weight.

Dawson I thought would be very good. Style over substance it seems. None of those names brings me to the edge of my seat. Remember spinks with competitors like Qawi. RJJ had........no-one.

RJJ had his time at MW was past his best at LHW. I still like Dawson he had an off night against Pascal think Dawson would win a rematch

Funny thing is that there have been more Cuban pro world champions since Castro's revolution than there were prior to it.

HumanWindmill wrote:Funny thing is that there have been more Cuban pro world champions since Castro's revolution than there were prior to it.

Ha. Good point. Any ideas how Stephenson and Savon would have fared had they had the chance to turn pro?

azania wrote:

HumanWindmill wrote:Funny thing is that there have been more Cuban pro world champions since Castro's revolution than there were prior to it.

Ha. Good point. Any ideas how Stephenson and Savon would have fared had they had the chance to turn pro?

Haven't really seen enough of Savon to offer an informed opinion, az, but Stevenson seemed to have a pro style and would have acquitted himself well, in my opinion.

Its hard to say with Savon. He was a big man and carried an impressive amount of power and athletiscm (scoring a KO victory over David Tua). A naturally talented boxer that seemed to fight in a manner which would have also suited the pro game.

However, had he turned pro, he could have just ended up as another Odlanier Solis (who, along with Ruslan Chagaev, held a winning record against Savon). Feasting away on junk food and coming into bouts weighing +250lbs.

Like any top amateur, his dedication towards the pro game would have been a defining factor on wheather he would been a success or not.

Mario Kindelan is another Cuban amateur who I would have liked to seen at a pro level.

azania wrote:

prettyboy1304 wrote:Despaigne is a cuban gold medalist turned pro after th 08 olympics and Syllakh is Eastern European and had more than 300 amateur fights. Both are ranked top 10 at light heavy. It was a great fight no blood and thunder stuff but a boxing masterclass more from Syllakh in the ;ater rounds but very enjoyable.

Where is Despaigne fighting out of? How old is he? There was a Ukrainian boxer who won the Val Baker award at the last Games. I wonder if he has turned pro yet. His style looked well suited to the pro game.

Ismayl Sillakh is the Ukranian fighter I believe you are referring to Azania.

Did nobody see the programme on BBC4 about 2 weeks ago which was about young cuban boxers? It was a one-hour one-off episode and was called 'Kidult: Cuban Punch-Up - The Boys who fought for Castro'. It was brilliant viewing and quite eye-opening as to what the young Cuban boxers have to go through. They really are pressured from a young age to succeed, being told that defeat in the Olympics is not an option as it brings shame on your country.

Wright Hook wrote:

azania wrote:

prettyboy1304 wrote:Despaigne is a cuban gold medalist turned pro after th 08 olympics and Syllakh is Eastern European and had more than 300 amateur fights. Both are ranked top 10 at light heavy. It was a great fight no blood and thunder stuff but a boxing masterclass more from Syllakh in the ;ater rounds but very enjoyable.

Where is Despaigne fighting out of? How old is he? There was a Ukrainian boxer who won the Val Baker award at the last Games. I wonder if he has turned pro yet. His style looked well suited to the pro game.

Ismayl Sillakh is the Ukranian fighter I believe you are referring to Azania.

Did nobody see the programme on BBC4 about 2 weeks ago which was about young cuban boxers? It was a one-hour one-off episode and was called 'Kidult: Cuban Punch-Up - The Boys who fought for Castro'. It was brilliant viewing and quite eye-opening as to what the young Cuban boxers have to go through. They really are pressured from a young age to succeed, being told that defeat in the Olympics is not an option as it brings shame on your country.

Just googled the Ukrainian boxer. Its Vasyl Lomachenko. He's staying amateur until the 2012 games. Big mistake imo. Winning gold is harder than winning a world belt and you get more rewards for a world belt.

Pity I missed the BBC4 programme.

This was the programme. Keep an eye out for it being repeated

http://digiguide.tv/pick-of-the-day/30-March-2011/documentary-kidult-cuban-punch-up-the-boys-who-fought-for-castro/

Wright Hook wrote:This was the programme. Keep an eye out for it being repeated

http://digiguide.tv/pick-of-the-day/30-March-2011/documentary-kidult-cuban-punch-up-the-boys-who-fought-for-castro/

Thanks for that.

That was a really interesting programme think it is on the bbc iplayer