(Prensa Latina - Cumbancha) Guantánamo, Cuba - The renowned Cuban boxing trainer Alcides Sagarra, who coached many Cuban teams in Olympic, Pan-American and Central American games, said that music is fundamental for sport. Sagarra, who trained the three-time Olympic champions Teófilo Stevenson and Félix Savón, pointed out during a sideline of the Changüí Festival being held here that "boxers must have rhythm and coordination". "That is why, we use music with them," he added.
Sagarra told a personal anecdote: Teófilo Stevenson had to fight a strong adversary shortly after his father's death, so "I used a song about a father, and that transformed him". According to the master of Cuban sport, "human feelings are expressed through music."
World Music Central
http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/20031225100902648