PARIS (AFP) - Cuban boxers competed in their nation’s first professional contest in six decades on Friday, eager to draw on their Olympic success to stage a victorious comeback.
Four Olympic medalists, in a squad of six Cuban boxers, made their professional debuts in Mexico, “for the first time in the history of boxing,” event organizer Gerardo Saldivar said.
Cuba has long been a powerhouse of Olympic boxing, but participation in professional sport was barred by the late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro in 1962.
After decades of defections by boxers who fled overseas to pursue salaried careers, the communist nation’s authorities in April finally opened up participation in professional boxing competitions.
Members of the “Los Domadores” national team will fight their first professional bouts in Mexico’s central city of Aguascalientes under a deal between the Cuban Boxing Federation and the Golden Ring Promotions company.
Also competing against opponents from Mexico and Colombia will be three-time world champion and Olympic medalist Lazaro Alvarez, along with two-time Olympic champions Roniel Iglesias and Arlen Lopez.
The Cuban squad is rounded out by world champion Yoenlis Hernandez and super featherweight Osvel Caballero, who replaced Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz at the last minute.
According to Cuban Boxing Federation President Alberto Puig, Cruz was excluded from the squad because he had neglected training.