Roberto Balado Méndez

Outstanding Cuban boxer. He possessed extraordinary speed in his hands and feet, eagle-eyed vision to see punches coming, and great evasive sense. He preferred to fight at mid-range to take better advantage of his limited reach, and among many virtues, his intelligence stood out along with an uncommon instinct for resolving unforeseen contingencies on his own without corner guidance.

Despite not possessing the adequate somatotype, he made an effort and through willpower and hard work managed to reign in the heavyweight division, leaving in his short athletic career—cut short by an automobile accident that cost him his life—a record of 238 victories and only 12 defeats in 250 fights.

He was born in Jovellanos, Matanzas. Before turning one year old, his family moved to Habana Vieja, and shortly after they moved to the El Palenque neighborhood (La Lisa), beside the La Lisa bridge.

He was 14 years old when he decided to dedicate himself to boxing. Like most Cuban athletes, he participated in the National School Games. Near his home was Rolando Rey's Gymnasium, where Raúl Fernández, his first trainer, convinced him to participate in boxing practice at the Provincial Academy gymnasium in Cacahual. With two or three weeks of training, Commissioner Manuel Echazábal, seeing Balado's build and the need for a future heavyweight, recruited him.

He possessed extraordinary speed in his hands and feet, eagle-eyed vision, and great evasive sense. He preferred to fight at mid-range to take better advantage of his limited reach, and among many virtues, his intelligence and uncommon instinct for resolving unforeseen contingencies on his own stood out.

Despite not possessing the adequate somatotype, through willpower and hard work, he managed to perform successfully in the heavyweight division, leaving in his short athletic career a record of 238 victories and only 12 defeats in 250 fights, despite the obvious disadvantages in height and body weight compared to most of his opponents. To corroborate the truth of this assertion, it suffices to refer to the data of two fighters defeated by him during the Barcelona Olympic Games: American Larry Donald (1.88 meters tall and 104 kilograms) and Nigerian Robert Igbineghu (1.86 and 103), while the Cuban measured 1.80 and 94. In the preliminary round, the judges recorded on the computers 12 matching punches in favor of Balado and only four for Donald; something very similar occurred in the gold medal bout when he won 13-2 against Igbineghu.

Balado's arrival in the boxing world coincided with a defining moment in the maximum division of Cuban boxing. In 1984, Teófilo Stevenson, although in good physical form and even aspiring to win a fourth Olympic gold medal, already needed a successor capable of continuing the victorious path begun in Munich.

From the Guantanamo province came encouraging news of young Félix Savón, while in the Camagüey lands the enthusiastic Eugenio "Titi" Basulto spoke wonders of prospect Leonardo Martínez Fizz. The promotional transfer of Raúl Fernández to the Orbeín Quesada Training Center, headquarters of the national pre-selection, played a decisive role in Balado's formation and subsequent consecration.

Regarding his undisputed rise to stellar levels, Alcides Sagarra points out: "Raúl spoke to me about the kid and without any commitment I accepted that I would prepare them at the 'Finca'.

He began to show progress and very soon his work was something more than simple learning. He was always willing to help with sparring and didn't care about the name of his opponent."

Some domestic specialists questioned the decision to include Balado as the Cuban representative in the super heavyweight division of the world championship tournament in Moscow (1989).

Unfortunately, his athletic career was cut short when he died on July 2, 1994, from injuries suffered days earlier in an automobile accident while driving his car to the academy where he trained; he had a traffic accident that cost him his life. He was 25 years old.

Had it not been for that tragic end, Balado would have competed as a favorite at the 1996 Atlanta Games, in whose final Ukrainian Vladimir Klitschko defeated Tongan Paea Wolfgramm. Others have speculated that Balado could even have reached triple Olympic champion had he been alive for the Sydney 2000 Games, in whose final Englishman Audley Harrison defeated Kazakh Muktarkhan Dildabekov.

Since 1995, the International Amateur Boxing Tournament "Roberto Balado" In Memoriam is held annually in the Havana municipality of La Lisa, Cuba.

Achievements Obtained

During his athletic career as a boxer, he obtained notable achievements such as:

Junior World Champion in 1987.
Senior World Champion. Moscow 1989, Sydney 1991, Tampere 1993, obtained the Reynol Russel Cup and best boxer of the championship.
Pan-American Champion Havana 1991
Olympic Champion Barcelona 1992. Where he was awarded the Val Barker Cup as Best Boxer of the Olympics.
World Cup Champion in 1990 and 1994.
Champion of the Central American and Caribbean Games 1986 and 1993.
Playa Girón National Tournament

1986 Silver Medal
1987 Silver Medal
1988 Silver Medal
1989 Silver Medal
1990 Gold Medal
1991 Gold Medal
1992 Gold Medal
1993 Gold Medal
Giraldo Córdova Cardín International Tournament

He participated in the Giraldo Córdova Cardín tournaments, always being champion or runner-up:

1986 Silver Medal.
1987 Silver Medal.
1988 Silver Medal.
1989 Silver Medal.
1990 Gold Medal.
1991 Gold Medal.
1992 Gold Medal.
1993 Gold Medal.
Gold Medals Obtained in International Tournaments

Youth Games of Friendship (1985).
Golden Belt Tournament (1986 - 1987).
Inter-Cup Tournament. West Germany (1987).
Belgrade Cup (1988 - 1989).
International Republic of Korea (1988).
International Brazil (1988).
International Finland (1987).