Angel Espinosa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Angel Espinosa

Personal information
Nationality	Cuba
Born	(1966-10-02)2 October 1966 Holguín, Cuba
Died	12 April 2017(2017-04-12) (aged 50) Miami, Florida, US
Height	1.60 metres (5 ft 3 in)
Weight	75 kilograms (165 lb)
Sport
Sport	Boxing
Weight class	Middleweight
Medal record World Championships Gold 1986 Reno Light Middleweight Silver 1989 Moscow Middleweight World Cup Gold 1987 Belgrade Middleweight Pan American Games Gold 1987 Indianapolis Middleweight Central American and Caribbean Games Gold 1986 Santiago Light Middleweight Friendship Games Gold 1984 Havana Light Middleweight

Ángel Espinosa Capó (born October 2, 1966 – died April 12, 2017) was a famous Cuban amateur boxer. He was one of the best boxers in the 1980s. Angel was known for his strong punches. He competed in the junior middleweight and middleweight classes.

Angel won the 1986 World Amateur Boxing Championships. However, he never won an Olympic medal. This was because Cuba decided not to send its athletes to the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics. This also happened for the 1985 Boxing World Cup. Angel was a southpaw, meaning he boxed with his left hand forward. He had about 300 amateur fights in his career.

Angel's Boxing Journey

Early Success

In 1983, Angel showed his talent early on. He won the junior world championships. He competed in the junior welterweight category. In that tournament, he knocked out American boxer Meldrick Taylor in the second round.

Becoming a Champion

Angel became a world champion in 1986. He won the junior middleweight title. The next year, in 1987, he won another big title. He became the Pan American champion in the middleweight class.

Facing Challenges

Cuba's decision to boycott some major events affected Angel. Because of this, he could not compete in the 1985 Boxing World Cup. He also missed the 1988 Summer Olympics. In both these events, the gold medal in middleweight went to Henry Maske from East Germany.

It's interesting to know that Angel had actually beaten Henry Maske three times. These wins happened in 1987 and 1988. He won all these fights by a unanimous decision. This shows how skilled Angel was, even though he missed out on some major medals.

Later Career and Olympics

At the 1989 World Championships, Angel continued to perform well. He defeated Sven Ottke, another strong boxer. However, he lost to Andrey Kurnyavka in that tournament.

Angel finally got to compete in the Olympics in 1992. This was at the Barcelona 1992 Games. He competed in the light-heavyweight category. In Barcelona, he lost to Wojciech Bartnik.

Life After Boxing

After his boxing career, Angel Espinosa continued to be involved in the sport. He became a boxing trainer for young amateur boxers. He worked at a gym in Hialeah, Florida. The gym was called "Hialeah School of Boxing." Angel passed away in Miami, Florida, on April 12, 2017.

Images for kids

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  Angel Espinosa, a Cuban boxing legend.

See Also

• Boxing in Cuba