Cuba's Teófilo Stevenson caused a Cassius Clay-like stir en route to his triumph in the heavyweight division at the Munich Games.

Teoflio Stevenson (AP Photo)

Blessed with strength, good looks, and incredible boxing skills, Stevenson mauled over his opponents to win the first of three consecutive gold medals.

His worldwide fame was fuel for speculation of a "superfight" with Clay, now calling himself Muhammed Ali, one of the great heavyweight champions in history.

But Stevenson, staying true to his political beliefs as a Communist, repeatedly rejected lucrative offers to fight Ali, saying "I wouldn't trade the love of my people for all the money in the world."


Terra Sports/Reuters