[ad_1]
The Cuban boxer who took to the ring on Tuesday was the first Professional poster The island has been controversial since Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, but they swept six low-profile opponents They face, among other things, the knockout rounds.
The historic event took place at the Sports City Stadium in Havana Sponsored by the International Boxing Association (IBA), of which Russian Umar Kremlev is president since 2020 yes He awarded the winner a $120,000 prize. The loser already has $100,000 of insurance.
They are in danger during the incident Two IBA belts, won by two-time Olympic champions and members of the Cuban Domadores team, Arlen López (80 kg) and Julio César La Cruz (92 kg). Both matches were originally scheduled for ten rounds, but one of them ended before the limit.
Lopez knocked out Dominican fighter Jose Luis Tejeda in just three rounds, while La Cruz led Uzbekistani Madyal Saidrakhimov 3-0 in ten rounds.. He had already beaten him in the World Series five years earlier.
With the IBA belt, both La Cruz and Lopez have successfully made up for the setbacks they suffered at the 2024 Paris Olympicswhich prevented them from re-awarding the title Under the Five Rings. La Cruz even said goodbye without a medal, Give up in first fight with Azerbaijani Cuban representative Loren Berto Alfonsowhile Aaron Lopez had to settle for bronze after being defeated by Ukrainian athlete Oleksandr Shizhnyak.
The remaining Cuban trainer also did his homework in the six-round fight.in which only one referee thought one of the opponents won.
In the 57kg category, 2023 world runner-up Saidel Horta defeated Russian Ruslan Belousov by unanimous decision; multiple World Olympic medalist Lazaro Alvarez (63.5kg) eliminated Uzbekistani Mujibilo Tursonov in the same manner. Erislandy Álvarez, the only Cuban boxing representative to win a title in Paris, return Enforced by a decision of all judges Colombian José Ignacio Muñoz.
In the only match decided by a split vote, five-ring double champion Ronil Iglesias (67 kg) defeated Armenian player Gurgen Madoyan in a 2×1.
Although the Cuban Tamers were victorious, the promotional poster disappointed many fans. The gym was packed due to the low level of the opponents.
When the Night of Champions was announced, a few contender names caught everyone’s attention, such as Emmanuel Reyes, a Cuban living in Spain, will be a rival to double Olympic champion Julio César La Cruz. This will be a politically charged revenge battle after the controversial victory of the Cuban representative at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which will make the event more intense. In short, Reyes, the bronze medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, refused to participate because he was not ready.
The contradictions and surrealism of an event that left Fidel Castro twisted in his grave
The so-called IBA Champions Night is the third time it has been held in Latin America after Aguascalientes (Mexico) and La Guaira (Venezuela), this time to mark World Boxing Day.
The celebration of professional boxing posters is common in almost any country, but This is not the case in Cuba, where Fidel Castro eliminated professionalism in sports more than 60 years ago. and classifies it as a form of slavery.
The paradox is that The date of Cuba’s first professional boxing poster was chosen in 1965 to commemorate the first World Amateur Boxing Championshipsperformed in Havana in 1974.
Since April 2022, Cuban boxers are authorized to compete in professional boxing as part of Domadores and Domadores. Under the umbrella of the National Cuban Boxing Federation, which decides where and who they fight and pockets 20 percent of the revenue.
To highlight the contradiction and surrealism, the cartel that paid the above amount celebrated with a giant image of the communist guerrilla Ernesto Guevara. Fidel Castro will writhe in his grave.
Moreover, many of the most conservative regime leaders and old party activists must still be wrestling with the events they were forced to accept. Cuba is going through a severe economic crisis and many of its best athletes are leaving.
This Tuesday morning, the boxers’ weigh-in and a master class for about 150 pairs of boxers in the small weight class were held in Central Park.
The show was accompanied by Russian music and featured several celebrities, including five-time professional world champion Roberto “Mano de Piedra” Durán of Panama. At the foot of the statue of national hero Apostle José Martí. The apostle of Cuban independence once said that boxing is a cruel thing, lacking beauty and nobility.
[ad_2]
Source link
