HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 9 (ACN) Two-time Cuban Olympic champion Julio Cesar La Cruz defeated Iranian Amir Esmaeili 5-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the heavyweight division (+90 kg) of the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
In his second victory at the Olympic-format world event, the Cuban star earned favorable votes from the judges: 30-27, 30-26, 30-27, 30-27, and 30-27.
This Wednesday, he will seek to secure the bronze medal against Britain's Damar Thomas."La Sombra," as La Cruz is known in the Cuban boxing world, is seeking a dream sixth world title.
The captain of the Cuban Domadores team has so far won five world championships in his extensive and successful career: Baku 2011, Almaty 2013, Doha 2015, Hamburg 2017, and Belgrade 2021.
If he wins the title again, La Cruz would equal the record held by Felix Savon, the leading champion among men, and Indian Mangte Chungneijang "Mary" Kom, the most successful champion among women, although both fighters have now retired.
The World Championship is taking place at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena, with a capacity of 12,000 spectators, until September 14. The competition brought together more than 540 fighters of both sexes from 66 countries across five continents.
Cuban Julio Cesar wins his second fight at 2025 World Boxing Championships
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