1978 : 2nd AIBA World Championships

Introduction :

The second World amateur boxing Championships organized by the AIBA are a "desert for the media". Only one video is available on this subject, not only for the Cuban team, but for all participants. We have only found this single photo of these Championships.

Teofilo Stevenson in the center and certainly
Dragomir Vujkovic left
It is the only photo available of this Championships

We will base our article on the records, without newspaper articles of the time.

Preparation of the Cuban Team :

In July 1977, during the 10th Giraldo Cordova Cardin tournament, Cuba wins almost all the medals available.

In August 1977, for the 8th Central American and Caribbean Championships, in Panama City, Cuba wins 8 gold and 2 silver medals. In the -67 kg finals, Michael McCallum/Jamaica beats Emilio Correa on points 4-1.

In November 1977, in Houston/USA, the USA meets Cuba. Cuba wins 7 fights for 4 losses.

(- 48 kg) Jorge Hernandez def Richard Sandoval on points 2-1.
(-54 Kg) Angel Herrera beats Rocky Lockridge on points 3-0.
(-71 Kg) Clinton Jackson beats Luis Felipe Martinez on points 3-0.
(+ 81 kg) Angel Milian beats Greg Page on points 2-1.

In February 1978, in La Havana, Cuba meets the USA. Cuba wins 8 fights for 3 defeats.

(-54 Kg) Rocky Lockridge def Adolfo Horta on points 2-1.
(-57 Kg) Angel Herrera def Johnny Bumphus on points 3-0.
(+ 81 kg) Teofilo Stevenson def Jimmy Clark on points 2-1.

The World Championships :

The 2nd World Championships take place in Belgrade/Yugoslavia, from the 6th to 20th May, 1978.

1978 World Championships Flag, in Belgrade

Eliminated without medal :

(- 60 kg). Bienvenido Lazo is defeated by Vladimir Sorokin/USSR in the quarter-finals, on points, 3-2. Lazo wins his first two fights. Lazo disappears from the Olympic team.

(- 63.5 kg) Andres Adalma is beaten by Veleriy Lvov/USSR, future gold medalist, on points 3-2, in the quarter-finals. Previously, he beats his two first opponents before the limit. Adalma, already a silver medalist in Montreal, will be at the 1980 OG.

Andres Aldama (left), during a competition unknown

(-67 Kg) Emilio Correa loses his second preliminary fight against Ernst Mueller/West Germany, future bronze medalist, by RSC in the 2nd. Emilio Correa was gold medal at the 1972 OG and 1974 WC, and lost in the preliminaries of the 1976 OG. He disappears from the Olympic team.

A picture of Valeriy Rachkov (rights ?) vs Miodrag Perunovic, finals of the -67 kg,
maybe during the World Championship

Silver Medals :

(-48 Kg) Jorge Hernandez loses in the finals against Stephen Muchoki/Kenya, on points 4-1. Previously, Jorge Hernandez beats Richard Sandoval/USA in the semi-finals, on points 4-1. Jorge Hernandez has already won the gold medal at the 1976 OG and 1974 WC. He will attend the 1980 OG. Richard Sandoval becomes a pro World Champion, in the bantams, and wins 29 fights for 1 defeat. Stephen Muchoki becomes a pro fighter, with 14 wins and 3 losses and will never be a World Champion.

(-51 Kg) Hector Ramirez loses in the finals against Henryk Srednicki/Poland. Previously, Ramirez has beaten his first three opponents. He disappears from the Olympic team.

(-71 Kg) Luis Felipe Martinez loses against Viktor Savchenko/USSR in the finals by 3-2. Previously, Martinez has won his first 4 fights, the first against Stéphane Ferrara/France, by 5-0. Martinez was a bronze medalist at the 1976 OG. He disappears from the Olympic team. Viktor Savchenko has won the bronze medal at the 1976 OG and will be at the 1980 OG.

Gold Medals :

(-54 Kg) Adolfo Horta wins the finals against Fazlija Sacirovic/YU, on points 3-2. The latter beats Rocky Lockridge/USA, on points 3-2, in the quarter-finals. Adolfo Horta wins his first 3 fights. Horta will attend the 1980 OG.

(-57 Kg) Angel Herrera beats Bratislav Ristic/YU, in the finals, on points 4 -1. Previously, Herrera has won his first 3 fights. Angel Herrera has already won the gold medal at the 1976 OG and will be present at the 1980 OG.

(-75 Kg) Jose Gomez def Slobodan Kacar/Yugoslavia, by RSC in the 2nd during the semi-finals and Tarmo Uusivirta/Finland on points 5-0, in the finals. Gomez will attend the 1980 OG. Slobodan Kacar will be 1980 Olympic Champion and a pro World Champion in the light-heavyweights.

Jose Gomez, left, during a competition unknown

(-81 Kg) Sixto Soria beats Tadija Kacar/Yugoslavia, on point 4-1, in the finals. Previously, Sixto Soria has defeated his opponents in his first 3 fights. According to the St. Petersburg Times, issued the 18th May, 1978, it has been difficult for Soria to beat the Australian Benjamin Pike, who has dominated the Cuban during the first two rounds. Soria reached his opponent only in the third round and the Australian was then counted by the referee. Soria was silver medalist at the 1976 OG and disappeared from the Olympic team. Tadija Kacar was silver medal at the 1976 Olympic.

(+ 81 kg) Teofilo Stevenson def Dragomir Vujkovic/Yugoslavia in the finals, by retirement in the 2nd. Video of the fight : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnD6_AKFWIE In the quarter-finals, Stevenson beats Tony Tubbs/USA on points 5-0 and Carlos Rivera/Venezuela, in the semi-finals, by RSC in the 2nd.

Teofilo Stevenson vs Dragomir Vujkovic

Tony Tubbs will become a heavyweight pro World Champion. Vujkovic has already lost in the semi-finals of the CM 1974 and was eliminated by Luis Felipe Martinez at the 1976 OG, in the middleweights. He is maybe an "inflated" heavyweight at these championships. The proof is that in February 1978, before the WC, Vujkovic fought against the USA in the light-heavyweights, and won against Charles Singleton. In February 1979, after the WC, Vujkovic also fought in the light-heavyweights, losing in the finals of the Yugoslav Championships, against Tadija Kacar. This change of weight category could be due to a lack of a reel Yugoslav heavyweight champion.

For Stevenson's career, see the article devoted to him in this blog.

Comparisons with other teams :

Cuban Team finishes first, with 5 gold and 3 silver medals. The USSR finishes second with 3 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals. Yugoslavia wins 6 silver medals, a big surprise. The USA wins only 2 bronze medals.

1978 World Championships Medal

Note the great weakness of the U.S. team. Only three members of this team will become professional champions, Tony Tubbs, Rocky Lockridge and Richard Sandoval. This reflects the great void created by the formidable 1976 American team. The majority of this "dream team " became professional after the 1976 OG.

In direct confrontation, Cuba beats once the USSR for 3 defeats. Cuba beats once the U.S. with zero loss.

Cuba has fought 44 fights with 38 wins and 6 losses, a victories ratio of 86%. This result is just less than in Munich (88%) but higher than in La Havana (84%) and Montreal (81%).

After the World Championships :

In July 1978, at the 13th Central American and Caribbean Games, Cuba wins 5 gold and 1 silver medals, with a team B, with the exception of Jose Gomez who wins the -75 kg category.

Cuban stamps for the XIIIth Central American and Carribean Games

In October 1978, in New York, the U.S. faces Cuba. Cuba wins 8 fights for 3 defeats.

(-57 Kg) Bernard Taylor beats Angel Herrera on points.
(-63.5 Kg) Jose Aguillar beats Don Curry on points.
(- 67 kg) Andres Aldama beats Clinton Jackson by RSC 1.
(+ 81 kg) Teofilo Stevenson def Jimmy Clark by RSC 3rd.

Conclusions of the USA – Cuba tests :

In the 3 direct confrontations, Cuba has always won with an average of 8 wins for 3 losses. This indicates a remarkably consistent level for the national team, despite many changes in it.