As a boxing nation, Cuba has all of it. A wealthy historical past, a profitable current and an thrilling future. This is not simply professionally both; Cuban fighters have amassed loads of medals on the novice stage over time. Relationship again to 1968 in Mexico, Cuba has received forty 9 Olympic medals in boxing. Professionally too Cuba has a historical past of successful belts, spanning from the 1930s till as we speak. Now, who’re the stand-out Cuban fighters?
Cuba’s Legends
Child Chocolate
Featherweight
Gained 135 (51 KOs)
Misplaced 10
Drawn 6
Eligio Sardinias Montalvo, recognized the world over as Child Chocolate, is one in all Cuba’s most treasured boxing sons. Over his profession, he received 135 fights (51 by knockout) and this captured him two world titles; from 1931-33 he was the Junior Light-weight Champion and from 1932 to 1934 he held the NYSAC Featherweight title. So, what made Child Chocolate so nice?
The primary purpose is that Child Chocolate was a Frankenstein’s monster of a boxer. Earlier than he began his novice profession, he made a behavior of watching the champions of the time on movie. He would examine their jabs, their hooks, they means they moved across the ring. He absorbed the components he preferred and polished them within the health club, turning into a mishmash of a fighter constructed out of the very best components of his favorite boxers. This observe served him effectively over his eleven yr profession, successful him two world titles and a large quantity of movie star.
Jose Napoles
Welterweight
Gained 81 (54 KOs)
Misplaced 7
Drawn Zero
Ranked as one of many biggest Welterweights of all time, Jose Naples received seventy 9 fights over seventeen years. He is among the most celebrated Cuban fighters ever and though he was happy with his nationality, it precipitated him some huge issues.
For a boxer to achieve success, it helps if he can really field. In 1961, Fidel Castro determined to ban skilled boxing in Cuba, leaving Napoles and different Cuban fighters with no boxing dwelling. To not be deterred, Napoles relocated to Mexico and kickstarted a profession that may see him win four World Welterweight title belts and be the undisputed welterweight champion from 1969-1970.
Cuba’s boxing heritage is wealthy and the celebrities of as we speak have rather a lot to stay as much as. Who’s going to try to decide up the mantle of Child Chocolate and Jose Napoles? Let’s discover out:
Up and Coming Cuban Battle Prospects
Luis Garcia
Mild Heavyweight
Gained 11 (9 KOs)
Misplaced Zero
Drawn Zero
Cuba’s future appears pretty safe with their roster of upcoming fighters. Luis Garcia, who’s nicknamed “the Lion” however enters the ring to “The Eye of the Tiger”, appears very promising. He has received all of his eleven fights comfortably, 9 of them ending together with his opponent on the ground. Most lately, he took an early step up in school, preventing former world champion Byron Mitchell. Garcia proved greater than as much as the problem and after receiving a livid two-round beating, Mitchell referred to as time on the bout.
Garcia is nearing the highest ten within the gentle heavyweight division, needing solely a pair extra world-class fights to provide him the push. There isn’t a doubt that he’ll win a world title in the future. He’s quick, throws correct combos, highly effective hooks and he likes to launch a vicious assault from the second the bell rings. He would undoubtedly be a wrestle for any gentle heavyweight within the high ten, the one drawback is he does not have a battle lined up but. It will likely be fascinating to see who’s picked for him as a result of it might effectively outline his profession.
Yunier Dortiscos
Cruiserweight
Gained 12 (12KOs)
Misplaced Zero
Drawn Zero
Subsequent up is Yunier Dortiscos, a twenty 5 yr previous Cuban prospect who has received each single one in all his fights by knockout. Dortiscos (12-Zero 12KOs) competes within the cruiserweight division and lately broke into the highest fifty fighters in that weight class.
Admittedly, Dortiscos has spent his profession to date preventing tomato cans. His final opponent was Jose Luis Herrera, a thirty one yr previous who began as a knockout artist however has now misplaced seven fights in a row. The younger Cuban must step it up quickly and face somebody who’s as a minimum within the high twenty 5. Then we’ll see what his possibilities of a title are.
Alexei Collado
Tremendous Bantamweight
Gained 14 (14KOs)
Misplaced Zero
Drawn Zero
Alexei Collado, twenty three, can also be undefeated and has additionally received each battle by knockout. Nicknamed The Hurricane, he’s attempting to take the tremendous bantamweight division by storm, however his progress has been gradual.
To this point he has proven glorious ability and a successful intuition within the ring, beating everybody he has come up in opposition to. However like Dortiscos, Alexei Collado (14-Zero 14KOs) is untested in opposition to a top-level opponent. Till we see him battle somebody of a greater high quality, it’s not possible to correctly gauge his potential.
So right here we’ve seen that Cuba’s prospects look good, particularly with Luis Garcia. However what of Cuba’s stars of the second? Let’s take a look.
The Greatest Cuban Boxers
Yoan Pablo Hernandez
Cruiserweight
Gained 24 (13KOs)
Misplaced 1
Drawn Zero
Hernandez is a twenty six yr southpaw who has received his final ten fights. Most lately, he beat Steve Herelius for the interim WBA World Cruiserweight title and he’s anticipated to problem Panamanian Guillermo Jones for the total model this yr. Hernandez is among the quickest punchers within the sport, and together with his present scorching streak I might count on him to choose up the total model of the WBA belt quickly.
Odlanier Solis
Heavyweight
Gained 17 (12KOs)
Misplaced 1
Drawn Zero
Shifting up just a few divisions we’ve Odlanier Solis, a reputation that shall be acquainted to most for his knockout loss to Vitali Klitschko in March this yr. Combating for Vitali’s WBC title, Solis began effectively and seemed to be a great match for Klitschko however he had are available too heavy. His weight made him injure his ankle and sadly, Solis needed to give up. It was dominated as knockout loss and it set his profession again just a few years. For his subsequent battle Solis will face Varol Vekiloglu, a twenty eight yr previous who isn’t anticipated to gentle up the world stage. Solis must beat him simply after which arrange a better profile battle. Although even when he does that, a world title shot isn’t in Solis’ close to future
So sadly issues do not look good for Solis. However not all is misplaced, as a result of Cuba nonetheless has…
Yuriorkis Gamboa
Featherweight
Gained 20 (16KOs)
Misplaced Zero
Drawn Zero
Not solely is Yuriorkis Gamboa Cuba’s finest boxer, he additionally some of the thrilling fighters on the earth. Twenty 9 years previous and undefeated after twenty fights, the unified IBF and WBA champion Gamboa is rightly thought to be among the best pound for pound fighters round.
Gamboa is a fighter who is bound to choose up a hefty assortment of belts earlier than his profession is out. He’s already the WBA Tremendous world champion, and lots of really feel there’s nothing left for him at featherweight. Gamboa might agree as a result of he has a battle arising in opposition to Mexican Tremendous featherweight Daniel Ponce de Leon. It’s a transfer up in weight class that can problem Gamboa, however he ought to pull by means of. From there, an entire new division of conquests await.
In a มวยโลก sense, Cuba is a blended bag proper now. They’ve one main prospect (Luis Garcia) and one celebrity (Yuriorkis Gamboa). Their different prospects like Alexei Collado and Yunier Dortiscos may very well be good however have but to be examined, whereas established Cuban fighters equivalent to Yoan Pablo Hernandez and Odlanier Solis might take pleasure in success however won’t ever be superstars. If I have been to provide any suggestions right here, it might be to look at Luis Garcia’s subsequent battle. And the one after that, and the one after that….