Split Decision (unreleased film)
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (November 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
| Split Decision: The Guillermo Rigondeaux Story | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Brin-Jonathan Butler |
| Produced by | Michael Collins Ronan Reinart Brin-Jonathan Butler |
| Written by | Brin-Jonathan Butler |
| Starring | Felix Savon Teofilo Stevenson Guillermo Rigondeaux Hector Vinent Cristian Martinez George Foreman Gary Hyde Bob Arum Luis DeCubas Ronnie Shields Enrique Encinosa S.L. Price Ann Louise Bardach Fidel Castro |
| Edited by | Jorge Alarcon-Swaby |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Cuba |
| Language | English Spanish |
Split Decision is filmmaker Brin-Jonathan Butler's cautionary examination of Cuban-American relations, and the economic and cultural paradoxes that have shaped those relations since Fidel Castro's revolution, through personal stories and interviews with the world’s most famous contemporary Cuban boxers and international authorities on Cuba.[1]
Synopsis
In 2000 while in Cuba, filmmaker and amateur boxer Brin-Jonathan Butler started training at a small Havana gym under a coach named Hector. Brin soon discovered that Hector was in fact two-time Olympic gold medalist and boxing superstar Hector Vinent, who lived in Havana and hired out for private training at $6 per day.
Through Vinent, Brin was introduced to Cuba’s boxing elite, including a champion
known as "El Chacal" (the Jackal), Guillermo Rigondeaux – widely known as the
greatest living boxer. Indeed, Rigondeaux (also a two-time Olympic gold medalist) was
a rising star of the Cuban system whose career was cut out from under him after a
failed defection attempt earlier in the year. In mid 2007, in response to the defection
attempt, Fidel Castro branded Rigondeaux a traitor and forbid him from competing.
In 2009 Rigondeaux tried again and successfully defected. He was taken out of Cuba
on a cramped smuggler’s boat and delivered to the United States, where he started a
pro career and went on the win a world title faster than anyone in history. He is the
current WBA super bantamweight world champion (in recess) as well as former WBO and The Ring super bantamweight Unified champion after being stripped for inactivity.
Despite his winning streak, Rigondeaux remains largely isolated in America. He left
his family in Cuba: a mother (who since died), a wife, a child; he left his
friends and his peers; he left a familiar way of life and social system. He is not
allowed to return to his homeland and is, essentially, shipwrecked now in search of
the American Dream. As such, he stands in sharp contrast to his predecessors, Cuban boxers like Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon, who turned down offers of tens of millions of dollars in order to remain in Cuba rather than defect to America.
Drawn in by Rigondeaux’s story, Brin began a journey into the heart of Cuban
boxing, examining a central question: why would some Cuban Olympic gold medal-
winning boxers defect for money, while others reject money to stay in Cuba?
It turns out the answer is as much about social values as it is about a sport that some
call ‘the most primal and lonely in the world’.
Split Decision is Brin's cautionary examination of Cuban-American relations, and the
cultural and economic paradoxes that have shaped those relations since Castro’s
revolution, through personal stories and interviews with the world’s most famous
contemporary Cuban boxers (such as Teofilo Stevenson, Felix Savon, Hector Vinent,
and Guillermo Rigondeaux), titans of the American boxing industry (such as Top
Rank’s Bob Arum and former world heavyweight champion George Foreman), and
international authorities on Cuba. The film also features interviews with award-
winning authors on Cuba like Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Fainaru, S.L. Price of
Sports Illustrated and the Miami Herald, National Book Award winner Carlos Eire,
and Vanity Fair feature columnist Ann Louise Bardach.
References
^ "Cuba's Forgotten Champ". Salon.com..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
External links
Split Decision on IMDb- http://www.maxboxing.com/news/max-boxing-news/brin-jonathon-butlers-split-decision-brings-guillermo-rigondeaux-to-the-screen-pt-1
- http://deadspin.com/teofilo-stevenson/
- http://freepress.bard.edu/wp/?p=1036
- http://www.fightknightsblog.com/2012-articles/january/fight-gear-rigondeaux-and-more.html
- http://www.boxingscene.com/hero-traitor-madness-guillermo-rigondeaux-story--39169
- http://www.newsday.com/sports/boxing/the-neutral-corner-1.1276167/betting-on-a-film-about-rigondeaux-1.2928400
- http://www.newstalk.ie/2011/uncategorized/guillermo-rigondeaux-hero-traitor-madness/
- http://www.rhobserver.com/9352/conference-to-reflect-on-cuba/
- http://www.salon.com/2012/09/07/cubas_forgotten_champ/
