Félix Savón


Félix Savón Fabre is a Cuban former amateur boxer who competed from 1980 to 2000. Considered one of the all-time greatest amateurs, he became three-time Olympic gold medalist, and the World Champion six times in a row, all in the heavyweight division. In 1988, when he was favored by many to win the gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics, the Cuban government boycotted the event. Savón is particularly known for having rejected numerous multimillion-dollar offers to defect and leave Cuba permanently to fight Mike Tyson as a professional.

Early life

He was born in San Vicente, in Guantánamo Province, Cuba. His ring debut occurred in 1980, in Guantánamo.
Savón's inspiration to become a boxer was his renowned countryman, three-time Olympic champion Teófilo Stevenson

Career

During his career, in which he did not turn professional, he managed a career record of 362–21, with the majority of his losses avenged. The only boxers, who got away with knockout victories over Savón unavenged were Soviet Usman Arsaliyev and North Korean Li Dal-Chen, whom he met only once.
He won his first important titles in 1985. At 19 he beat America's Michael Bentt on his way to win the 1987 Pan Am games. Besides winning the Cuban heavyweight title, he also won the Junior World Championships in 1985.
This set off his career, in which he would win six World Championships; his victory at the 1997 tournament was the result of the disqualification of an opponent, future professional world champion Ruslan Chagaev, who beat Savón in the final, but was later stripped of the gold medal for having two professional fights prior to the championships. Chagaev was reinstated as an amateur the following year when these fights were declared exhibitions, but did not regain the gold medal.
In 1998 during the Heavyweight final of the Goodwill Games from New York, Savón had an amazing knockout over U.S. Amateur Champion DaVarryl Williamson. At the 1999 tournament, he was to fight American Michael Bennett in the final, but the whole Cuban team retired from the competition to protest the result of another Cuban boxer in the tournament whom they considered had been "robbed" by the judges, meaning that Bennett won the final on default. In their bout at the 2000 Summer Olympics Bennett would lose 23–8 to Savón.
Savón won three Olympic gold medals, a feat shared with only two other boxers, László Papp and compatriot Teófilo Stevenson. He could have been a four-time Olympic gold medalist, had the Cuban government allowed its team to participate in the 1988 Seoul, South Korea.
Savón's critics said that he is a puncher instead of a boxer who is not satisfied with a decision, risking losses by going after knockouts even when he is far ahead on points. Roosevelt Sanders, a U.S. boxing coach, said Savon would have been immediately ranked between 5th and 10th in the world's professional boxing heavyweight division if he turned pro after the 1990 Goodwill Games. "Cuba, since 1974 has been the king of amateur boxing in the world", he said. "That is why the media of other countries keep asking why we don't box professionally. Professionalism will abolish humanism and society." Savon said amateur athletes are revered in Cuba. "Athletes are the most important thing in Cuba since Castro took over. We practice sports from the age of 8."

Highlights

Local match-up, Guantánamo, Cuba, 1980 :
  • Defeated KO
XVI National Cadet Games, Cuba, July 1981:
  • Finals: Defeated Lino Famide KO
National Youth Championships, Cuba, 1982:
  • 1/2: Lost to KO
National Friendship Games, Cuba, 1983:
*
National Youth Championships, Cuba, 1983:
*
International Youth Tournament, Berlin, East Germany, June 1984:
  • Finals: Defeated Uli Klimm RSC 1
XV Central America and the Caribbean Championships, Managua, Nicaragua, 1984:
*
XXIV Playa Girón National Championships, Nueva Gerona, Cuba, January 1985:
  • 1/2: Defeated Aurelio Toyo Pérez by decision
  • Finals: Defeated Hermenegildo Báez by decision
XXXVI Strandzha Cup, Sofia, Bulgaria, February 1985:
XIV Chemistry Cup, Halle, East Germany, March 1985:
  • Finals: Defeated Michael Ernst by unanimous decision, 5–0
Trofeo Italia, Mestre, Venice, Italy, March 1985:
XVIII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba, March 1985:
  • 1/2: Defeated Ramzan Sebiyev
  • Finals: Defeated Hermenegildo Báez RSC 2
National Youth Championships, Cuba, 1985:
*
XVI Central America and the Caribbean Championships, Maturín, Venezuela, September 1985:
  • Finals: Defeated H. Hidalgo RSC 1
III Junior World Championships, Bucharest, Romania, September 1985:
  • 1/8: Defeated Ilie Corbu RSC 1
  • 1/4: Defeated Andrey Cholakin by majority decision, 4–1
  • 1/2: Defeated Attila Árvai by walkover
  • Finals: Defeated Andrzej Golota RET 2
XXV Playa Girón National Championships, Havana, Cuba, January 1986:
XXXVII Strandzha Cup, Sofia, Bulgaria, February 1986:
XVII Chemistry Cup, Halle, East Germany, March 1986:
  • Finals: Defeated Sven Lange RET 3
Ústí Grand Prix, Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, March 1986:
  • Finals: Defeated Anatoliy Savkin by unanimous decision, 5–0
XIX Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Camagüey, Cuba, May 1986:
  • Finals: Defeated Renat Trishev by majority decision, 4–1
IV World Championships, Reno, Nevada, May 1986:
XV Central American and Caribbean Games, Santiago, Dominican Republic, June–July 1986:
  • 1/4: Defeated Emilio Payne KO 1
  • 1/2: Defeated José Acosta KO 1
  • Finals: Defeated Rodolfo Marín RSCH 1
National Team Championships, Cuba, October 1986:
USA–Cuba Duals, New Orleans, Louisiana, December 1986:
  • Defeated Orbit Pough by unanimous decision, 5–0
USA–Cuba Duals, Sacramento, California, December 1986:
  • Defeated Huland Copeland RSC 1
XXVI Playa Girón National Championships, Holguín, Cuba, January 1987:
  • Finals: Defeated Roberto Balado by decision
XVIII Chemistry Cup, Halle, East Germany, March 1987:
  • Finals: Defeated Sven Lange RSC 2
Ústí Grand Prix, Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, March 1987:
  • 1/2: Lost to Usman Arsaliyev KO 3
XX Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Santa Clara, Cuba, June 1987:
  • Finals: Defeated Juan Delis Causse by unanimous decision, 5–0
X Pan American Games, Indianapolis, Indiana, August 1987:
  • 1/4: Defeated Julio Sanchez RSC 1
  • 1/2: Defeated Michael Bentt by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • Finals: Defeated Juan Antonio Díaz Nieves KO 2
North American Championships, Toronto, Canada, August 1987:
  • Finals: Defeated Michael Bentt by unanimous decision, 3–0
V World Cup, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, October 1987:
  • 1/4: Defeated Fred Kaddu by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • 1/2: Defeated Ramzan Sebiyev by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • Finals: Defeated Arnold Vanderlyde by majority decision, 4–1
Cuba–USA Duals, Santa Clara, Cuba, December 1987:
  • Defeated Jerry Goff RSC 1
XXVII Playa Girón National Championships, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, January 1988:
  • Finals: Defeated Roberto Balado by unanimous decision, 5–0
Ústí Grand Prix, Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, March 1988:
  • 1/2: Defeated Henrik Satyka RET 1
  • Finals: Defeated Rudolf Gavenčiak RET 3
Gee-Bee Tournament, Helsinki, Finland, April 1988:
  • Finals: Defeated Yevgeni Sudakov by unanimous decision, 5–0
USA–Cuba Duals, Caesars Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, April 1988:
XXI Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Las Tunas, Cuba, June 1988:
  • Finals: Defeated Juan Delis Causse by unanimous decision, 5–0
Leningrad International Tournament, Leningrad, Soviet Union, June 1988:
  • Finals: Defeated Ramzan Sebiyev by unanimous decision, 5–0
TSC Tournament, Berlin, East Germany, July 1988:
XIX Central America and the Caribbean Championships, Guatemala City, Guatemala, October 1988:
  • Finals: Defeated Luis Godoy RET 1
XXVIII Playa Girón National Championships, Guantánamo, Cuba, January 1989:
  • Finals: Defeated Roberto Balado by unanimous decision, 5–0
AIBA International Challenge, Casablanca, Morocco, February 1989:
XXII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Pinar del Río, Cuba, June 1989:
  • Finals: Defeated Yuri Vaulin by walkover
VII Military Spartakiad of the Friendly Armies of the Socialist Countries, Sliven, Bulgaria, June 1989:
  • Finals: Lost to Li Dal-Chen KO 1
V World Championships, Moscow, Soviet Union, September 1989:
  • 1/8: Defeated Arnold Vanderlyde RSCH 1
  • 1/4: Defeated Hamayak Shabazian 32–1
  • 1/2: Defeated Axel Schulz by walkover
  • Finals: Defeated Yevgeni Sudakov 18–8
Cuba–USA Duals, Havana, Cuba, 1989:
  • Defeated
Battle of Carabobo International Tournament, Venezuela, 1989:
*
XXIX Playa Girón National Championships, Cienfuegos, Cuba, January 1990:
  • Finals: Defeated Alberto Almeida RSC 1
AIBA International Challenge, West Berlin, West Germany, March 1990:
XXIII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Manzanillo, Cuba, June 1990:
U.S. Olympic Cup, North America–Europe Duals, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 1990:
  • Defeated Rafael Akopov RET 1
II Goodwill Games, Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington, July 1990:
  • 1/4: Defeated Javier Álvarez by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • 1/2: Defeated Viktor Akshonov by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • Finals: Defeated Yevgeniy Sudakov by unanimous decision, 5–0
VI World Cup, Dublin, Ireland, August 1990:
  • 1/4: Defeated Sean O'Regan RSC 1
  • 1/2: Defeated René Monse RET 1
  • Finals: Defeated Bert Teuchert 29–3
Cuba–USA Duals, Havana, Cuba, 1990:
  • Defeated
XVI Central American and Caribbean Games, Mexico City, Mexico, December 1990:
  • 1/2: Defeated Víctor Alarcón
  • Finals: Defeated José Marrero
XXX Playa Girón National Championships, Camagüey, Cuba, January 1991:
  • Finals: Defeated Freddy Rojas on points
King's Cup, Bangkok, Thailand, February 1991:
  • Finals: Defeated Bert Teuchert by unanimous decision, 5–0
XXIV Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, June 1991:
  • Finals: Defeated Joel Donatien RSCH 2
USA–Cuba Duals, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, August 1991:
XI Pan American Games, Havana, Cuba, August 1991:
VI World Championships, Sydney, Australia, November 1991:
XXXI Playa Girón National Championships, Pinar del Río, Cuba, January 1992:
  • Finals: Defeated Freddy Rojas on points
BOXAM Cup, Barcelona, Spain, February 1992:
AIBA International Challenge, Tampa, Florida, April 1992:
XXV Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, May 1992:
  • Finals: Defeated Freddy Rojas on points
XXV Summer Olympics, Barcelona, Spain, July 1992:
  • 1/32: Defeated Krzysztof Rojek RSC 2
  • 1/16: Defeated Bert Teuchert 11–2
  • 1/4: Defeated Danell Nicholson 13–11
  • 1/2: Defeated Arnold Vanderlyde 23–3
  • Finals: Defeated David Izonritei 14–1
XXXII Playa Girón National Championships, Matanzas, Cuba, January 1993:
  • 1/16: Defeated Dagoberto Ordoñez RET 2
  • 1/8: Defeated Esteban Fuentes RET 1
  • 1/4: Defeated Alexis Echeverría RET 1
  • 1/2: Defeated Pedro Montalvo 20–6
  • Finals: Defeated Freddy Rojas RSC 1
AIBA International Challenge, Istanbul, Turkey, February 1993:
  • Defeated Sergei Sakharov RSC 4
Europe–North America Duals, Berlin, Germany, March 1993:
XXVI Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, May 1993:
  • Finals: Defeated Diosdado Ortega
VII World Championships, Tampere, Finland, June 1993:
USA–Cuba Duals, Biloxi, Mississippi, September 1993:
  • Defeated Derrell Dixon by unanimous decision, 5–0
XVII Central American and Caribbean Games, Ponce, Puerto Rico, November 1993:
  • 1/2: Defeated Julian Skeete RSC 2
  • Finals: Defeated Edgardo Santos RSC 2
XXXIII Playa Girón National Championships, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba, January 1994:
  • Finals: Defeated Freddy Rojas on points
AIBA International Challenge, Dublin, Ireland, March 1994:
XXVII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Cienfuegos, Cuba, May 1994:
VIII World Cup, Bangkok, Thailand, June 1994:
  • 1/2: Defeated Georgi Kandelaki 19–4
  • Finals: Defeated René Monse RSC 4
III Goodwill Games, Saint Petersburg, Russia, July–August 1994:
  • 1/4: Defeated Christophe Mendy 8–6
  • 1/2: Defeated Peter Müller RSC 2
  • Finals: Defeated Sergei Mochalov KO 1
USA–Cuba Duals, Ledyard, Connecticut, October 1994:
  • Defeated Robert Greer RSC 1
XXXIV Playa Girón National Championships, Manzanillo, Cuba, January 1995:
  • Finals: Defeated Freddy Rojas
XXVIII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Matanzas, Cuba, February 1995:
  • Finals: Defeated Luis Álvarez RSC
XII Pan American Games, Mar del Plata, Argentina, March 1995:
  • 1/4: Defeated Angus Lewis KO 1
  • 1/2: Defeated Santiago Palavecino RSCH 1
  • Finals: Defeated Lamon Brewster RET 2
World Championships, Berlin, Germany, May 1995:
  • 1/8: Defeated Joon Hyon Yoon RSC 1
  • 1/4: Defeated Georgi Kandelaki by walkover
  • 1/2: Defeated Christophe Mendy 9–6
  • Finals: Defeated Luan Krasniqi RSC 2
National match-up, Havana, Cuba, July 1995:
  • Defeated Luis Álvarez RSC
XXI Central America and the Caribbean Championships, Mexico City, Mexico, September 1995:
  • 1/2: Defeated O. Vasquez RET 1
  • Finals: Defeated Julio Pacheco RET 1
AIBA International Challenge, Macon, Georgia, October 1995:
USA–Cuba Duals, Ledyard, Connecticut, November 1995:
XXXV Playa Girón National Championships, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, January 1996:
  • Finals: Defeated Freddy Rojas on points
XLVII Strandzha Cup, Sofia, Bulgaria, February 1996:
  • 1/4: Defeated Nedjadi Belahouel RET 3
  • 1/2: Defeated Gioacchino Mocerino RET 2
  • Finals: Defeated Christophe Mendy by walkover
Ústí Grand Prix, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic, February 1996:
XXVII Chemistry Cup, Halle, Germany, February–March 1996:
  • 1/2: Defeated Oleg Belikov RSC 1
  • Finals: Defeated Luan Krasniqi RET 3
XXIX Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Camagüey, Cuba, April–May 1996:
  • 1/4: Defeated Juan Delis Causse RSC 3
  • 1/2: Defeated Roberto Camilo RSC 2
  • Finals: Defeated Michel López Núñez RSC 2
XXII Central America and the Caribbean Championships, Guadalajara, Mexico, May 1996:
  • Finals: Defeated Benjamín García RSC 1
XXVI Summer Olympics, Atlanta, Georgia, July–August 1996:
Copenhagen Cup, Copenhagen, Denmark, November 1996:
  • 1/4: Defeated Sergei Volodin KO 1
  • 1/2: Defeated Mark Simmons by walkover
  • Finals: Defeated Rune Lillebuen RET 2
XXXVI Playa Girón National Championships, Holguín, Cuba, February 1997:
  • 1/4: Lost to Juan Delis Causse KO 2
XXX Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Pinar del Río, Cuba, June 1997:
  • 1/4: Defeated Benjamín García RSC 2
  • 1/2: Defeated Mark Simmons 12–8
  • Finals: Defeated Freddy Rojas 14–4
National match-up, Havana, Cuba, August 1997:
  • Defeated Juan Delis Causse on points
Pan American Tournament, Medellín, Colombia, September 1997:
  • 1/2: Defeated Leo Simonis RSC 2
  • Finals: Defeated John Arroyo Escobar RSCH 1
World Championships, Budapest, Hungary, October 1997:
  • 1/16: Defeated Kwamena Turkson 4–2
  • 1/8: Defeated Igor Kshinin 25–4
  • 1/4: Defeated Mark Simmons 15–4
  • 1/2: Defeated Tue Bjørn Thomsen RSC 3
  • Finals: Lost to Ruslan Chagaev 4–14
XXXVI Playa Girón National Championships, Villa Clara, Cuba, January–February 1998:
  • 1/4: Defeated Michel López Núñez RET 3
  • 1/2: Defeated Yusmel García RSC 2
  • Finals: Defeated Juan Delis Causse 19–6
Ahmet Cömert Memorial, Istanbul, Turkey, February 1998:
  • 1/4: Defeated Zoltán Kiss RET
  • 1/2: Defeated Roman Sukhoterin RSC 1
  • Finals: Defeated Giacobbe Fragomeni by walkover
Beijing Open Tournament, Beijing, China, March 1998
XXXI Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Havana, Cuba, June 1998:
  • 1/4: Defeated José Gonzalez RSC 1
  • 1/2: Defeated Leo Simonis RSC 1
  • Finals: Defeated Juan Delis Causse 19–2
IX World Cup, Chongqing, China, June 1998:
  • 1/4: Defeated Georges Akono RSC 1
  • 1/2: Defeated Ma Jing Wei RSC 1
  • Finals: Defeated Giacobbe Fragomeni by walkover
IV Goodwill Games, New York City, July 1998:
  • 1/4: Defeated Dmitry Gerasimov RSCO
  • 1/2: Defeated Malcolm Tann RET 3
  • Finals: Defeated DaVarryl Williamson KO 1
XVIII Central American and Caribbean Games, Maracaibo, Venezuela, August 1998:
  • 1/2: Defeated Alejandro Virgen 26–8
  • Finals: Defeated Jhony Molina RSC 2
XXXVII Playa Girón National Championships, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, January 1999:
  • 1/8: Defeated Luis Ortíz RET 4
  • 1/4: Defeated Alexis Castillo RSC 4
  • 1/2: Defeated Freddy Rojas 17–2
  • Finals: Lost to Odlanier Solís 2–4
Strandzha Cup, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, February 1999:
  • Finals: Lost to Ruslan Chagaev 2–7
Ústí Grand Prix, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic, March 1999:
  • 1/4: Defeated Zoltán Kiss RSC 2
  • 1/2: Lost to Radim Marovski 2–4
National Tournament of Champions, Havana, Cuba, April 1999:
  • 1/4: Lost to Noel Pérez Bió KO 2
XXXII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Villa Clara, Cuba, June 1999:
  • 1/2: Defeated Noel Pérez Bió 15–3
  • Finals: Defeated Mohamed Azzaoui RSC 2
X World Championships, Houston, Texas, August 1999:
  • 1/16: Defeated Deividas Nekrašas RSCH 3
  • 1/8: Defeated Andrei Kombarov 7–5
  • 1/4: Defeated Ruslan Chagaev 9–1
  • 1/2: Defeated Kevin Evans RET 4
  • Finals: Lost to Michael Bennett due to boycotting the final
XXXVIII Playa Girón National Championships, Guantánamo, Cuba, January 2000:
  • 1/8: Defeated Alexis Castillo RSC 1
  • 1/4: Defeated Freddy Rojas RSC 4
  • 1/2: Defeated Alberto Almeida RSC 1
  • Finals: Lost to Odlanier Solís 3–6
Ústí Grand Prix, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic, March 2000:
Ukraine–Cuba Duals, Kyiv, Ukraine, March 2000:
National Olympic Trials, Havana, Cuba, June 2000:
  • 1/4: Defeated Yusmel García RSCO 3
  • 1/2: Defeated Alexis Castillo RSC 3
  • Finals: Defeated Noel Pérez Bió 6–4
XXXIII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Las Tunas, Cuba, July 2000:
  • 1/4: Defeated Yusmel García by walkover
  • 1/2: Defeated Mahomed Adamov RSC 3
  • Finals: Defeated Odlanier Solís 4–3
XXVII Summer Olympics, Sydney, Australia, September 2000:
  • 1/16: Defeated Ojemaye Rasmus RSCO 2
  • 1/4: Defeated Michael Bennett RSCO 3
  • 1/2: Defeated Sebastian Köber 19–8
  • Finals: Defeated Sultan Ibragimov 21–13