Félix Savón
Félix Savón Fabre ( born September 22, 1967 in San Vicente, Cuba) is a former Cuban amateur boxer in the heavyweight division.
He won one of only three boxers (next to Teófilo Stevenson and László Papp ) three gold medals at Olympic Games and six World Championships. Savón, who always refused to professional boxing, is considered an example of the high quality training and professional development of the Cuban boxing.
Amateur career
Savón started boxing in 1980 and won the 1985 his first major title: the Cuban national championship in the heavyweight division, which he won fourteen times in a row from 1985 to 1998 (1999 and 2000 he lost the final Odlanier Solís ) and the Junior World Championships in Bucharest by defeating the Poles Andrzej Gołota.
World Championships
His six world championship titles won Savón
In the 1997 World Cup, he lost his only fight at a World Cup when he was defeated by the Uzbek Ruslan Chagayev points in the final. However Savón was later awarded the title because his opponent had already completed pro fights and was therefore disqualified.
Savón not won in several appearances at the world championships only one. The title bouts in 1999, the entire Cuban team withdrew in protest against the referee's decisions, Savón received a silver medal for his hitherto fought finals. His scheduled opponent in the final, he defeated Michael Bennett in 2000 in the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games in Sydney.
Olympic games
Participation in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul remained Savón denied because Cuba boycotted these games. The Olympic gold medalist Ray Mercer he had defeated in a clear international match Cuba - USA before the games.
For its first participation in the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992 he won the gold medal with a final win with 14:1 points over the Nigerians David Izonritei.
This title he defended at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, where he switched off on the way to the gold medal, among others, Michael Bennett (at this time the official world champion ) and Sebastian Köber to the finals the Russians Sultan Ibragimov to defeat.
For more tournament wins
- Chemistry Cup in Halle - 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1996
- Central American and Caribbean Championships - 1984, 1985, 1988, 1995, 1996
- Central American and Caribbean Games - 1986, 1990, 1993, 1998
- Pan American Games - 1987, 1991, 1995
Fight Record
In his 20-year career as amateur Savón reached 387 wins and just 21 defeats.
Other notable beaten opponents
- Kirk Johnson
- DaVarryl Williamson, knockout victory in the first round
- Odlanier Solís, against whom he also lost twice
- Georgi Kandelaki, Georgian world champion in super heavyweight in 1997
- Lamon Brewster
- Roberto Balado, three times
- Arnold Vanderlyde, five times
- Michael Bentt
- Andrzej Gołota
- Michel López, bronze medalist of the 2004 Olympic Games in the super heavyweight
- Luan Krasniqi
- Shannon Briggs
- David Tua
Others
In the 1990s, the American promoter Don King Savón tried to take with highly doped services under contract to pit against the former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson.
After the 2000 Olympics Savón announced his retirement at the age of 33 years. According to the rules of AIBA Weltamateurboxverbandes applies for participation in Olympic Games, World and Continental Championships and other international amateur tournaments a maximum age limit of 34 years. After his playing career Savón was coach of the Cuban boxing team.