Professional boxing in Cuba was banned from 1962 until 2022, and the country is set to host its first pro event in over sixty years.
After a 60-year-long ban on professional boxing, which meant many Cuban boxers were forced to move countries if they wanted to turn over after the amateurs, Cuba is set to host its first pro event featuring a Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist, who seeks to make up for lost time on behalf of his country.
Erislandy Alvarez goes pro after beating France’s iconic amateur to win Gold
Erislandy Alvarez claimed gold in the men’s lightweight division after breaking French hearts when he beat Sofiane Oumiha in the finals.
Alvarez boasts an amateur record of 38-5, and actually had three fights as a professional before his Olympic campaign. Alvarez beat two opponents in 2023 and another in January 2024, but is set to return on the Cuban bill against a higher-level of opposition to anything he’s faced in the pros before.
Alvarez will return to the pro game against 21-5-1 Brainer Vasquez Soli, who has won 13 of his fights by stoppage.
Also on the card are two other Cuban Olympians, Arlen Lopez and Julio Cesar La Cruz, who both won gold medals at both the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. La Cruz also fought in the 2024 Games.
This comes at a time where many Paris Olympians are going pro such as Marco Verde, Pat Brown, Omari Jones, Teremoana, Nishant Dev, and many more.
Gennadiy Golovkin saved Olympic boxing recently, as it was set to be scrapped from the 2028 LA Games.
Cuban world champion set to return to the ring aged 44
Guillermo Rigondeaux is one of the best amateurs the sport has ever seen, with a record of about 463-12.
His pro record sits at 23-3, and he became a world champion after defeating Nonito Donaire by unanimous decision.
Rigondeaux was beaten by another of the greatest amateurs, Vasyl Lomachenko, whose record was 396-1.
Lomachenko or ‘No Mas Chenko’ as he became known is the only man to have stopped Rigondeaux, who, aged 44, will return to the ring in April.