Savon, Cubans rack up Goodwill boxing gold

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Posted: Saturday August 01, 1998 02:09 AM

Savon knocked his opponent down and out with 1:05 left in the first round Al Bello/Allsport

NEW YORK (AP) - Felix Savon of Cuba wrote another brief but stunning chapter to his heavyweight career with a one-punch knockout of American DaVarryl Williamson on Friday night in the Goodwill Games.

The 30-year-old Savon was backed up by a left hand to the head from the 29-year-old Williamson. But as Williamson tried to throw a right, Savon put every ounce of his vaunted power into a right of his own that knocked his opponent down and out with 1:05 left in the first round.

It was the third Goodwill games championship for the 201-pound Savon to go along with two Olympic titles, four world championships and a Pan American Games title.

Savon's stunning victory in The Theater at Madison Square Garden was the fourth in five finals for the Cubans Friday night. The loss for Williamson, of Aurora, Ill., meant that all three American finalists on Friday's card were beaten.

Savon's victory also gave the Cubans a 7-3 margin over American boxers in head-to-head meetings in this competition.

The Cubans will try to win three more titles Saturday night. Also in Saturday finals will be Roberto Benitez, 112, of Marquette, Michigan; Teaunce Shepherd, 125, of Marquette; and Olanda Anderson, 178, of Fort Carson, Colorado, and an all-American match at 139 of Ebo Elder of Newman, Georgia, and Ricardo Williams Jr. of Cincinnati.

The first American victim Friday night was 19-year-old Jacob Hudson of Augusta, Georgia, who lost 13-4 in the 132-pound final to Mario Kindelan. Hudson held his own for the first three of five two-minute rounds, but the left-handed Cuban took complete charge in the fourth round, landing several right hooks to build a 10-4 lead.

The Americans suffered another defeat when 19-year-old Andrei Mishin of Russia outpointed 18-year-old Larry Mosley of Los Angeles 11-3 in the 147-pound final.

Mosley, a U.S. national champion, appeared tight in the early rounds and simply could not solve the defense of Mishin, who scored effectively with right jabs and hooks.

Russian team officials had threatened to withdraw their four finalists - two will fight Saturday night - because they were upset about losing several close decisions earlier in the tournament. The International Amateur Boxing Association then suspended two referee-judges, a referee and a judge and the Russians didn't go through with their threat.

The first Cuban to win was Maikro Romero, a 25-year-old Olympic champion and reigning world champion. He was just too slick and powerful for Aleksan Nalbaniyan of Russia and scored a 10-5 decision at 106 pounds.

The Cubans suffered a loss at 119 pounds in dramatic fashion. Timur Tulyakov of Uzbekistan was trailing Waldemar Font 14-13 when he evened the score with a right to the head with 15 seconds remaining and won 15-14 with another right to the head just before the bell.

The other Cuban winner was Ariel Hernandez, a two-time Olympic champion who overcame a two-point penalty for holding in the fifth round and edged Jean-Paul Mendy of France 15-14 in the 165-pound final.

The two left-handers exchanged some rocking head blows, especially in the final two rounds. Hernandez led 6-2 after three rounds but then Mendy rallied to tie it 10-10 after four. After the penalty made it 12-12 in the final round, Hernandez scored two quick points to clinch the bout.

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