Rolando Garbey Garbey

He was a Cuban boxer. Winner of several titles at world and national level in the 71-kilogram division. Selected among the 100 best athletes of the greatest of the Antilles in the 20th century.

From childhood he had an inclination toward boxing, although it was not until four years after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution (January 1959), that he did it officially in a gymnasium in his native land, under the watchful eye of trainer Ovelio Wilson.

His progress was notable and the young man from Santiago showed great promise in boxing.

In the second half of the 1960s, several boxers of quality in his 71-kilogram division flourished in Cuba. Juan Luis Martínez and Andrés Molina can be cited.

Athletic Career

Garbey participated in 3 Olympics, winning the silver medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, bronze medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games and finishing in fifth place at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

In 1974 he was amateur world champion in the first edition of this championship, held in La Habana, Cuba.

Rolando Garbey won 3 gold medals, in his category, at the 1967, 1971 and 1975 editions of the Pan American Games.

After his last Olympic participation, in 1976, Rolando Garbey retired to dedicate himself to teaching boxing.

Participation in National Events
He participated in the national championship Playa Girón of Camagüey, in 1966.
In May 1968 he lost the gold medal of the Córdova Cardín event, held in La Habana.
In 1969, he won the Córdova Cardín against his countryman Marcos Santana.
In June 1971 he was defeated in the final of the Córdova Cardín competition by his fellow countryman Emilio Correa, another top-class boxer who would become an Olympic champion the following year, in the next lower division (67 kilograms).
His first success in Playa Girón tournaments was in 1972, in Santiago de Cuba, against Ernesto Milián in the Playa Girón of Santiago de Cuba and in a Festival of Champions, in La Habana he was defeated by a young man who was standing out forcefully, the left-handed Luis Felipe Martínez. He won the Córdova Cardín, in Santa Clara.
The 1976 season was the last of competitions for Rolando Garbey, now a veteran, despite being only 29 years old, he lost again to Luis Felipe in the Playa Girón organized by the city of Camagüey and also fell in the final of the Strandzha Cup, in Bulgaria, to the Yugoslav Tadija Kacar. However, he achieved the gold medal against Belic Svetomir (YUG) in the Córdova Cardín.

Participation in International Events
Garbey participated as a Cuban representative in the Winnipeg Pan American Games and his debut in the international arena was high-profile, returning with the gold medal. Of his three fights, two he finished by knockout, including the final fight against the hard-hitting Argentine Víctor Galíndez.

He achieved prominence when boxing was very strong in the amateur category, with boxers of excellent technique and craft; especially from the United States, Soviet Union, German Democratic Republic (GDR) and other European nations. On a tour through Europe he had to settle for the silver medal in the very strong Química Cup in Halle, in the GDR, after falling to the host Dieter Dahn.

The capital of Mexico organized the Olympic Games at the end of October 1968 and the technical staff of Antillean boxing led by Soviet trainer Andrei Chervonenko, who was collaborating in Cuba at that time, and professor Alcides Sagarra, decided to include him in the squad to defend the 71-kilogram division.

The 20-year-old young man did not let them down, as among the most prominent of the light middleweights in the world, he returned to his country with the meritorious silver medal. In the Olympic competition he made his debut, defeating RSC-1 (Referee Stopped Contest) the Irishman Frank McCusker. Then came the rematch against the East German Dieter Dahn, where three judges saw him win and two voted for the European, in a very close fight. In the quarterfinals, Rolando Garbey became the first Cuban boxer to secure an Olympic medal in the history of this sport in the greatest of the Antilles. He did not spare the Briton Erwin Blake, whom he dealt an impressive KO in the opening round. In the semifinals he defeated the difficult and hard-hitting American John Baldwin 4-1 and secured the silver medal.

The only one who could stop him was the favorite Soviet Boris Lagutin, Olympic champion four years earlier in Tokyo and bronze medalist in the previous competition in Rome 1960. The experienced boxer prevailed by unanimous decision of the judges (5-0), he fell in the final of the T.S. Cup in Berlin, to the Pole Witold Stachurski. The following year, he triumphed at the Central American and Caribbean Games, in Panama City, where he demonstrated his powerful right hand knockout power, finishing all three of his opponents by knockout. However, in the first Central American championship of the sport, a lower-level event held in November in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he lost in the final to the local José Colón. Rolando Garbey was entrusted with defending the gold at the Pan American Sports Games in Cali, Colombia, where he also went the distance and in the fight for the gold medal he beat the Mexican Emeterio Villanueva.

In 1972 he also won the Gold Belt in Bucharest, Romania, and the Córdova Cardín, in La Habana. He had established himself as number one in Cuba in the 71-kilogram division and as such he attended his second Olympic Games, this time in the city of Munich, Germany. There, he defeated Ricky Barnor (GHA) 5-0, Franz Csandi (AUT) 5-0 and Nanko Stanchev (BUL) KO-2, before falling in the quarterfinals to Wieslaw Rudkows (POL) in a controversial decision 2-3. In the two following years, he successfully defended the Cuban titles in his division, prevailed in the international tournaments Córdova Cardín and the Central American Championship of the sport in Mexico. Furthermore, he reaffirmed his dominance at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where he defeated a promising Venezuelan boxer, Alfredo Lemus.

In August 1974, in La Habana, the First World Amateur Boxing Championship was organized. The best boxers on the planet in each category attended this event. Rolando Garbey found opponents of the highest level. With great momentum he began with a RSCH (Referee Stopped Contest due to Head Blow) against the Czechoslovak Thomas Kemel in the very first round. The same fate befell him, but in the third round, the East German Peter Tiepold. Garbey demonstrated effectiveness in his striking, with powerful left hooks and technical movements in the ring, which impressed the experts. The next victory came against the Mexican Emeterio Villanueva by unanimous decision of the five judges. The Soviet Anatoly Klimanov was his opponent in the semifinals and the Caribbean boxer prevailed 4-1. For the gold medal, he showcased all his technical arsenal to defeat the hard-hitting and well-known Venezuelan Alfredo Lemus 3-2. The most important thing for the world champion and Olympic runner-up in the following season was his third crown in continental competitions. In Aztec lands he defeated Alfredo Lemus in the semifinals for the third time and for the gold medal Michel Prevost (CAN).

The victory he obtained in the Córdova Cardín in 1976 opened the doors to the Montreal Olympic Games, Canada. In the northern city, Garbey sought the title awarded by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) that had eluded him on two other occasions. First, he finished by KO in the last round Abashian Olzvoi (MGL), and in the same manner he disposed of Earl Liburd (ISV). In the quarterfinals stage he applied RSC-1 to Kalevi Kosumen (FIN), but to enter the discussion for the gold medal, he lost once again to Tadija Kacar (YUG) 1-4, and had to settle for the bronze medal.

Retirement
After his performance at the Olympic Games in Montreal, Rolando Garbey decided to retire from the ring and make way for young talents. From that moment on he dedicated himself to teaching at all levels of this sport. He was also a prominent coach for national teams, a responsibility he also served under professor Alcides Sagarra.

Still in 2011 he was a member of the senior national collective. Considered one of the greats of boxing not only in Cuba, but in the world.