NO MAN has so articulately conveyed the romance of Cuban boxing as Teofilo Stevenson, a three-time Olympic gold medallist and perhaps the country's greatest heavyweight.

Asked why he had turned down a multimillion-dollar approach from Don King to defect, turn professional and fight Mohammad Ali for the world title, Stevenson replied: "Why fight for $1 million when I can fight for 10 million Cubans?"

Stevenson's stirring summation of the spirit of Cuban boxing speaks of a glorious past when, after Fidel Castro's abolition of "corrupt and exploitative" professional sports in 1962, fighters toiled not for remuneration, but for the pride and prestige of their island nation. The results were stunning - 55 Olympic boxing medals, including 32 golds, since the 1972 Games - and even more so when it is considered Cuba boycotted the Los Angeles and Seoul Olympics.

But times have changed. Though the likes of Stevenson and Felix Savon are still revered on the streets of Havana Vieja, and the sweat-soaked gymnasiums such as the Rafael Trejo, the financial devastation caused by America's 46-year trade embargo has forced an increasing number of Cuban pugilists to consider professional avenues.

Castro's famous sporting oration, in which he declared "men's sacred values are beyond gold and money", has lost impact among athletes struggling to feed their families.

The very revolution that gave rise to an amateur boxing powerhouse now appears to be contributing to its steady decline. A list of high-profile defections in the past two years decimated the Cuban national squad in the build-up to Beijing, and fears of further desertions prompted the national association to withdraw from the 2007 world championships in Chicago, robbing remaining squad members of much-needed international exposure.

Cuba has been represented by fighters in 10 weight classes at these Games, the first time in four decades Cuba has failed to field an entrant in all divisions. Of those, light-welterweight Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo and heavyweight Osmai Acosta Duarte failed to advance past the semi-final stages of the tournament at the Beijing Workers' Gymnasium last night. A repeat of their gold medal haul of five in Athens would now seem an improbable task.