By Marty Mulcahey
28 years ago, American politicians halted the life's work of hundreds of patriotic athletes, crushing dreams and rendering years of intense training inconsequential. Among them were eleven boxers, whose futures were negatively impacted by not participating in the 1980 Summer Olympics.
On March 21st, 1980, the United States announced it would not participate in the Summer Olympics because of Russia's invasion of Afghanistan. There would be no "Miracle on Ice" (yes, American politicians had no moral objections to competing against Russians at the 1980 Winter Olympics hosted by America) for an American boxer against a formidable rival from Russia or Cuba. Imagine how the career of James Broad would have been boosted if he were to have upset legendary Cuban heavyweight Teofilo Stevenson.
The specter of the 1980 USA Olympic boxing team entered my mind again because of recent calls from human rights organizations to boycott this year’s Olympics in China. The cause - human rights in China and Tibet - is certainly worthy and impossible to argue against. However, the effectiveness of athletic boycotts, and the ensuing discourse over the reasons for the sporting prohibition are unclear. Did America's boycott of the Moscow Olympics, and Russia's ensuing withdrawal from the Los Angeles Olympics have any real world effect? If so, it is not apparent at first sight, since Russia did not have its beleaguered military retreat from Afghanistan until 1989.
How important is it to a future professional to win an Olympic Gold medal, or just to participate in the Gold medal bout and come away with a Silver medal? You only have to look at the three participants from non-communist countries that advanced to the finals of the 1980 Olympic competition. John Mugabi, Bernardo Pinango, and Patrizio Oliva all went on to win a portion of the world title after turning pro. Even one communist boxer, Slobodan Kacar of Yugoslavia, went on to win a world title in the pro ranks. There can be no doubt that an Olympic medal greatly influences the subsequent career trajectory of a boxer.
An Olympic gold medal does more than elevate the boxer in the eyes of the public; it’s a virtual guarantee that the boxer is put on a higher pay scale in the developmental portion of his career. Take the failed pro aspirations of 2000 US Olympian Ricardo Williams as an example. The amateur sensation signed a million dollar contract (reportedly 1.4 million), before his career puttered out with a 10-2 record and he received a three year jail sentence for selling cocaine. It is easier for promoters to secure TV dates for a "former Olympian" as opposed to a hard working kid on the way up named Marvin Hagler.
The era in which these fights would have taken place also needs to be considered. The cold war was a hot topic internationally, and the Russians were the kind of sporting enemy that slick public relations types on Wall Street had fantasies about. There were only three TV stations (sorry, PBS doesn't exist for anyone under the age of 30), and the Olympics were highly anticipated events that much of the nation’s sporting focus went toward. Boxing was not limited to 3 AM replays on CNBC or MSNBC; we are talking prime Saturday viewing (especially in view of the success of the 1976 American Olympic boxing team) that gave Super Bowl type exposure.
All of this was lost on the eleven men listed below. I think a recap of their careers shows that they sorely needed a push to start their careers. One should not generalize, but maybe this whole team was born under a bad star. Almost the whole team suffered ill-fated careers, and even the ones who fought and won world titles had their worlds crash around them abruptly.
Robert Shannon (Jr. Flyweight from Seattle, Washington) - The baby of the team, a 17 year old who stuck around for the 1984 Olympics. Unfortunately, Russia boycotted those Olympics, and the competition and aura of the winners was affected. The second strike against Shannon was getting knocked out by future champion Sung-Kil Moon of Korea in that competition. In the pros, Shannon faltered, lacking a big punch and perhaps pushed too fast into a fight with mirror image, but more mature, Greg Richardson. It seems doubly difficult for non Hispanic boxers - Shannon had a black father and white mother - of American citizenship to win world titles below bantamweight. Ended his career with a 18-6-2 record, and no world title bouts.
Richard Sandoval (Flyweight from Pomona, California) - This dynamo learned from the mistakes of his older brother, Alberto "Superfly" Snadoval, while battling his way through the amateur and pro ranks. Give credit to Sandoval for winning his world title by beating the best bantamweight of the era. Sandoval used his all around skills to knock out Hall of Famer Jeff Chandler, winning the bantamweight crown. His career came to an abrupt end, as he suffered a brain injury in his third title defense. Sandoval survived the injury, and is involved with boxing as the manager of the Top Rank gym in Las Vegas.
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