THE PEOPLE’S FIGHTERS: TEOFILO STEVENSON AND THE LEGEND OF CUBAN BOXING
- Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, Greg Groggel, Peter Berg / Olympic Channel
Part of the Olympic Channel’s signature documentary series Five Rings Films, The People’s Fighters (87 minutes) tells the powerful story of how a revolutionary Cuban boxing experiment produced a generation of Olympic champions. Over the past 50 years, and despite being a nation of only 11 million residents, Cuba
has produced more Olympic boxing medallists than any other country taking home 73 medals in the sport, 38 of which are gold. The success has been led by three time heavyweight gold medallists Teofilo Stevenson, who once famously turned down a million-dollar offer to fight Muhammad Ali and turn professional in favour of continuing to fight for his beloved homeland, and Felix Savon, as well as the man behind their greatest achievements, the legendary coach Alcides Sagarra Caron. The feature-length documentary, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, Patriots Day) and filmed in Havana and the United States, provides an authoritative look at the country’s seminal boxing culture, including the triumphs and challenges faced by Cuban boxing today and how the rise of local talent is paving continued success for the country.