Roberto Balado


Roberto Balado Méndez was a Cuban amateur boxer, who competed from 1986 to 1994. At the 1992 Summer Olympics he won a Gold medal in the men's super heavyweight.
A natural heavyweight, he was Olympic champion, three times world champion, and five times Cuban national champion. He was also the winner of the Val Barker Trophy for Outstanding Boxer at the 1992 Olympic Games|Olympic] Games.
Balado was at his prime, looking forward to win many forthcoming events, considered by some boxing experts to be the world's second-best fighter after Félix Savón, and being one of the favourites of the 1995 Pan American Games and 1996 Olympics, but died in a car accident.
At the time of his death, age 25, he had 250 fights, with a record of 238 victories, and 12 losses.

Early years

Balado was born in Jovellanos, Matanzas, on 15 February 1969. Before his first birthday, the family came to live in Old Havana and shortly thereafter they moved to the El Palenque neighborhood, next to the La Lisa bridge.
He was 14 when he took up boxing, and soon participated in the National School Games.

Career

In 1984, Cuba's long-time Olympic heavyweight Teófilo Stevenson, although retaining physical strength and staying in shape, and even aspiring to win the fourth gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Games already needed to pass the torch and find a suitable alternate for the Cuban National Boxing Team.
Raúl Fernández's promotional transfer to the Orbeín Quesada training center, headquarters of the National Athletic Selection, played a decisive role in the formation and subsequent consecration of Balado.
Regarding the Balado's ascent to the national team, Alcides Sagarra pointed out: "Raúl spoke with me of the boy and without any hesitation I agreed to get him trained in the 'Finca.' He began to show progress and very soon his was something more than just learning. He was always willing to help in the sparrings, and he didn't care about the name of the opponent in front of him."
Cuban sport officials questioned the decision to include Balado as the Cuban representative in the superheavyweight class to compete at the 1989 World Championships in Moscow, but he proved the critics wrong and won the event.

Highlights

XXV Playa Girón National Championships, San Jose de las Lajas, Cuba, January 1986:
  • 1/8: Defeated Ambrosio Moro RSCH 2
  • 1/4: Defeated Wilder Cervantes by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • 1/2: Defeated Francisco Bouly by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • Finals: Lost to Félix Savón KO 2
Golden Belt Tournament, Bucharest, Romania, 1986:
XXII Friendship Games, Szolnok, Hungary, August 1986:
  • Finals: Defeated Tigran Terterian RSC 1
XXVI Playa Girón National Championships, Holguín, Cuba, January 1987:
  • 1/16: Defeated Alberto Almeida RSCH 1
  • 1/8: Defeated Reinaldo Dreke RSC 1
  • 1/4: Defeated Juan Cause Delis by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • 1/2: Defeated Victor Ispuria by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • Finals: Lost to Félix Savón by unanimous decision, 0–5
Gee-Bee Tournament, Helsinki, Finland, April 1987:
  • Defeated Georgy Likov by decision
  • Defeated Gytis Juškevičius KO 3
  • Lost to Yevgeniy Sudakov by unanimous decision, 0–5
Intercup, Hemsbach, West Germany, April 1987:
  • 1/2: Defeated Wiesław Dyła by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • Finals: Defeated Fred Kaddu by unanimous decision, 5–0
Golden Belt Tournament, Bucharest, Romania, 1987:
  • Finals: Defeated Petr Bornescu by decision
IV Youth World Championships, Havana, Cuba, June 1987:
  • 1/4: Defeated Frank Beckström RSC 1
  • 1/2: Defeated Peter Stettinger RSC 3
  • Finals: Defeated Vyacheslav Sedov RSC 3
Simón Bolivar Cup, Caracas, Venezuela, September 1987:
  • Finals: Defeated A. Golotyan by unanimous decision, 5–0
XVIII Central America and the Caribbean Championships, San José, Costa Rica, November 1987:
  • Finals: Defeated Emilio Payne RSC 2
XXVII Playa Girón National Championships, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, January 1988:
  • 1/8: Defeated Pedro Montalvo by majority decision, 4–1
  • 1/4: Defeated Daniel Alonso Zamora by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • 1/2: Defeated Juan Cause Delis by split decision, 3–2
  • Finals: Lost to Félix Savón by unanimous decision, 0–5
XXXIX Strandzha Cup, Sofia, Bulgaria, February 1988:
XXVIII Playa Girón National Championships, Guantánamo, Cuba, January 1989:
  • 1/16: Defeated Jose Sayu RSC 2
  • 1/8: Defeated Pedro Montalvo by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • 1/4: Defeated Raul Gonzalez RET 2
  • 1/2: Defeated Juan Cause Delis by unanimous decision, 5–0
  • Finals: Lost to Félix Savón by unanimous decision, 0–5
XXII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Pinar del Río, Cuba, June 1989:
  • 1/4: Defeated Sergey Kravchenko by decision
  • 1/2: Defeated Roberto Camilo by decision
  • Finals: Defeated Armando Camouzano by decision
VII Military Spartakiad of the Friendly Armies of the Socialist Countries, Sliven, Bulgaria, June 1989:
  • Finals: Defeated Sergey Kravchenko by majority decision, 4–1
World Championships, Moscow, Soviet Union, September 1989:
XXIX Playa Girón National Championships, Cienfuegos, Cuba, January 1990:
  • 1/8: Defeated Livan Álvarez 33–7
  • 1/4: Defeated Osvaldo Castillo RSC 3
  • 1/2: Defeated Fidel César PTS
  • Finals: Defeated Armando Camouzano 61–23
AIBA World Championships Challenge, Berlin, Germany, March 1990:
XXIII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Manzanillo, Cuba, May 1990:
  • 1/8: Defeated Adonis Conti KO 1
  • 1/4: Lost to Roberto Camilo DQ 2
U.S. Olympic Cup, North America–Europe Duals, Exhibition Hall, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 1990:
II Goodwill Games, Seattle, Washington, July 1990:
  • 1/4: Lost to Yevgeniy Belousov RSCI 1
TSC Tournament, Berlin, East Germany, October 1990:
IV World Cup, Bombay, India, November 1990:
XXX Playa Girón National Championships, Camagüey, Cuba, January 1991:
  • 1/16: Defeated Ramon Marino RSC 1
  • 1/8: Defeated Juan Quesada 25–5
  • 1/4: Defeated Adonis Conti 35–6
  • 1/2: Defeated Alexis Rubalcaba 14–5
  • Finals: Defeated Armando Camouzano 16–9
AIBA World Championships Challenge, Bangkok, Thailand, February 1991:
  • Defeated Vartan Vartanyan 45–12
King's Cup, Bangkok, Thailand, April 1991
  • Finals: Defeated
XXIV Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, June 1991:
  • 1/4: Defeated Freddy Reguerifero 26–0
  • 1/2: Defeated Roberto Camilo 18–3
  • Finals: Defeated Juan Cause Delis 6–4
XI Pan American Games, Havana, Cuba, August 1991:
World Championships, Sydney, Australia, November 1991:
XXXI Playa Girón National Championships, Pinar del Río, Cuba, January 1992:
  • 1/16: Defeated Adonis Conti 34–7
  • 1/8: Defeated Osvaldo Castillo 19–0
  • 1/4: Defeated Luis Lazaro Ulacia 13–2
  • 1/2: Defeated Armando Campuzano 11–1
  • Finals: Not contested Leonardo Martínez Fizz
BOXAM Cup, Barcelona, Spain, February 1992:
AIBA World Championships Challenge, Tampa, Florida, March 1992:
XXV Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, May 1992:
  • 1/8: Defeated Juan Cause Delis 7–1
  • 1/4: Defeated Alexis Rubalcaba 8–2
  • 1/2: Defeated Adonis Conti 23–11
  • Finals: Defeated Osvaldo Castillo 21–4
XXV Summer Olympics, Barcelona, Spain, July 1992:
XXXII Playa Girón National Championships, Matanzas, Cuba, January 1993:
  • 1/8: Defeated Arnaldo Alfonso 24–0
  • 1/4: Defeated Frank González RSC 1
  • 1/2: Defeated Luis Lazaro Ulacia 14–5
  • Finals: Defeated Roberto Camilo 11–0
AIBA World Championships Challenge, Istanbul, Turkey, February 1993:
Europe–North America Duals, Berlin, Germany, March 1993:
XXVI Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, May 1993:
  • 1/4: Defeated Osvaldo Castillo 5–0
  • 1/2: Defeated Leonardo Enrich 6–0
  • Finals: Defeated Armando Camouzano 8–2
VII World Championships, Tampere, Finland, June 1993:
Cuba–USA Duals, Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi, September 1993:
  • Defeated Ed Mahone by unanimous decision, 5–0
XVII Central American and Caribbean Games, Ponce, Puerto Rico, November 1993:
  • 1/4: Defeated Harold Arroyo RSCH 1
  • 1/2: Defeated Anibal González RSC 1
  • Finals: Defeated Rómulo Suárez RSC 1
XXXIII Playa Girón National Championships, Ciego de Avila, Cuba, January 1994:
  • 1/8: Defeated Isbey Rodriguez RSC 2
  • 1/4: Defeated Juan Ortega RET 2
  • 1/2: Defeated Luis Lazaro Ulacia 8–2
  • Finals: Not contested Leonardo Martínez Fizz
AIBA World Championships Challenge, Dublin, Ireland, March 1994:
  • Defeated Yevgeniy Belousov by split decision, 3–2
XXVII Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, Cienfuegos, Cuba, May 1994:
  • 1/2: Defeated Raj Kumar Sangwan RET 1
  • Finals: Defeated Luis Lazaro Ulacia PTS
VIII World Cup, Bangkok, Thailand, June 1994:

Death

On 2 July 1994, Roberto Balado was driving to train at the headquarters of the Cuban team at the Holveín Quesada National School of Boxing but didn't make it as he died in a crash at a train crossing in Havana.