1. Teofilo Stevenson – Cuban heavyweight (1972-1980)

At 6-3 and a lithe 215 pounds, Stevenson was the most intimidating, dynamic force that the Olympics had ever seen. From almost the beginning Stevenson’s regal carriage and devastating power created a Tyson-esque aura that drove some opponents to the point of paralysis. For some, that process began the moment they saw their names across from his on the draw sheet.

His fight plan was pretty much the same every time – come forward behind a blinding, flashing jab, fire a beautifully timed pile-driving right hand and then watch his opponent fall down.

That blueprint led to an awesome record in Olympic competition – 12 fights, 12 wins, three consecutive gold medals and the Val Barker trophy in 1972. Nine of his first 10 fights in the games were knockouts – four of which occurred in the first round – and the only non-KO win in the bunch was a walkover due to an opponent injury in the 1972 final. His victims during that stretch included Americans Duane Bobick (TKO 3, 1972) and John Tate (KO 1, 1976) as well as Romania’s Mircea Simon, whom Stevenson defeated for gold number two in Montreal.

His final two fights were the only ones to go the distance and even then he dominated as he defeated Hungary’s Istvan Levai 5-0 in the semifinal and the Soviet Union’s Piotr Zaev 4-1 to capture his third gold in Moscow. Had it not been for a Soviet-led boycott in 1984, the 32-year-old Stevenson would have been in line for an unprecedented fourth gold. His opponent might have been American Tyrell Biggs, who defeated Italy’s Francesco Damiani in the finals of the super heavyweight division, which debuted that year. A clue to the potential result – Stevenson had already beaten Biggs the previous February. 

The only cloud regarding Stevenson’s legacy was that his third gold was won against a somewhat watered-down field. The Soviet Union’s refusal to end its invasion of Afghanistan prompted then-U.S. president Jimmy Carter to lead a boycott that included 64 countries, few of which were genuine boxing powers. However, had the U.S. competed Stevenson might have met James Broad, who, while accomplished, would have been a prohibitive underdog against the powerful and still-in-his-prime Stevenson.

 *

Several worthy fighters failed to break into the top 10, including two-time gold medalists Alexey Tishchenko of Russia and Cuba’s Angel Herrera, Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Mario Kindelan. Other worthy names included Cuban Andres Aldama, who won gold in 1980 after losing to Sugar Ray Leonard in the 1976 final, Leonard himself for his spectacular run through the field in Montreal and two-time medalist Paul Waruinge, who was one of only three men to win the Val Barker trophy as a non-gold medalist (American Louis Laurie won it as a bronze medalist in 1936 while Roy Jones Jr. won 1988’s honor as a silver medalist who should have been golden. Waruinge, who won silver in 1972, won the trophy as a bronze medalist in 1968). 

The roster of Olympic champions run deep, as this list proves, and only time will tell whether someone will put together a strong enough resume to force a reshuffling of this list. Until then, all we can do as fans and historians is sit back, watch and enjoy.

*

Photos / Al Bello (Hernandez, Savon), Adalberto Roque (Rigondeaux), Omar Torres (Vincent) – AFP and Getty Images

Lee Groves is a boxing writer and historian based in Friendly, W.Va. He is a full member of the BWAA, from which he has won seven writing awards, including four in the last two years. He has been an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame since 2001 and is also a writer, researcher and punch-counter for CompuBox, Inc. He is the author of “Tales From the Vault: A Celebration of 100 Boxing Closet Classics. To order, please visit Amazon.com or e-mail the author at [email protected] to arrange for autographed copies.