Cuba to hold World Boxing Day in Havana

 

HAVANA, Cuba, Aug 20 (ACN) The World Boxing Day will be celebrated in Havana on August 27 with the Night of Champions at the Coliseum of the Ciudad Deportiva, said today the president of the Cuban Boxing Federation, Alberto Puig de la Barca.

At a press conference at the famous arena, the executive stated that the event, organized by the International Boxing Association (IBA), will feature the best Cuban boxers in professional format fights, where two of them will be playing for the world title.

Two-time Olympic champion Julio Cesar La Cruz and Uzbekistan's Madiyar Saydrakhimov will fight for the 92-kilogram belt, while two-time Olympic gold medalist Arlen Lopez and Belarusian Aliaksei Alfiorau, world runner-up in Belgrade 2021, will compete for the 80-kilogram title.

According to the IBA supervisor, Russian Kirill Shchekutyev, a prize of 120,000 dollars will be awarded to the winners and 100,000 dollars to the losers.

This prestigious event will bring together athletes, coaches, officials and fans from all over the world to ponder the rich history of that sport, on a date that coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first amateur World Championship organized in Havana in that same scenario.

Puig de la Barca announced that the activities will begin the day before with a meeting of the IBA Executive Committee where the issues of the venues for the next world championships for men and women, to be held in Serbia and Kazakhstan, respectively, will be discussed.

In the afternoon, the Forum of America will be held for the first time in the country with the presence of the presidents of the IBA federations and on the same day 27, a master class will be held with 150 pairs of boxers of different categories and the public weigh-in of the athletes who will participate that night.

The other bouts scheduled for that night will be between Saidel Horta and Russian Ruslan Belousov (57 kg), Lazaro Alvarez and Uzbekistan's Mujibillo Tursonoz (63.5 kg). Rosniel Iglesias and Armenian Gurgen Mayodan (67 kg) and Paris 2024 Olympic titleholder Erislandy Alvarez and Uruguayan Eduardo Estela.

A few days ago, IBA President Umar Kremlev of Russia told the press that he was pleased that Cuba would host the main celebration of International Boxing Day because of its unprecedented legendary heritage in the sport.