Roberto Balado
Roberto Balado Mendez (* February 15, 1969 in Jovellanos, † July 2, 1994 in Havana ) was a Cuban boxer.
Career
Balado began in 1983 with the boxes. In 1986 he reached the age of 17 years for the first time the heavyweight final of the Cuban championship, losing there, as in the following three years, Félix Savón. After he had risen in the super heavyweight, he was from 1990 to 1994 five times Cuban masters. His first international success was winning the Junior World Championship 1987 in Havana.
Immediately on his first participation in the box world championships in Moscow in 1989, he won the title at super heavyweight by defeating the bronze medalist of the Olympic Games in 1988 Alexander Miroshnichenko. The title he could at the next two World Championships in 1991 in Sydney and 1993 in Tampere, successfully defend there among other things with a knockout victory over Oleg Maskajew.
In 1992 he took part in the Olympic Games in Barcelona as the Cuban representative in the Super Heavyweight. There, he won the first and only gold medal for Cuba in this weight class. On the way to the title, he defeated, among others, Larry Donald, Brian Nielsen in the final and the Nigerians Richard Igbineghu (later professional under the name Richard Bango ). He was also awarded the Val Barker trophy as the best boxer of the Games.
Roberto Balado won 122 fights in his career with nine defeats. He was on 2 July 1994, when he was about to cross a railroad crossing near Wajay of his car, hit by a freight train and seriously injured. A few hours later he died in a hospital in Havana at the age of only 25 years.
For more tournament wins
- Central American and Caribbean Championships - 1987
- Central American and Caribbean Games - 1993
- World Cup - 1990
- International Armeespartakiade - 1989
- Pan American Games - 1991