PROFESSIONAL boxing will return to Cuba for the first time since Fidel Castro banned the sport in 1962 with a star-studded card in April featuring some of the nation’s most decorated amateurs.
The card will be promoted by Germany’s AGON Sports with a five-fight slate, seeing their newly signed Cuban amateur stars across the board. Julio Cesar La Cruz, Arlen Lopez, Erislandy Alvarez and Lazaro Alvarez will appear on the card in Varadero this spring.
35-year-old light-heavyweight La Cruz, 3-0 (3 KOs), is one of the most decorated amateurs of all-time, picking up gold at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, as well as five gold medals at the World Championships between 2011-2021. Although the undefeated Cuban sensation has fought just three times since turning professional.
Lopez, 3-0 (2 KOs), won Olympic gold in the middleweight division in Rio before adding another gold to his collection up at light-heavyweight at the Tokyo games. The 32-year-old rounded off a stellar Olympic career with a bronze medal at Paris 2024 back at middleweight. The Cuban also won gold at the 2015 World Championships in Doha.
‘La Amenaza’ Erislandy Alvarez, 3-0 (1 KO), won Olympic gold in his first attempt at the Paris 2024 games, and at just 24 years old, the Cuban lightweight has a lengthy professional career ahead of him.
34-year-old Lazaro Alvarez, 6-0 (3 KOs), won bronze at the 2012 Olympics in London while campaigning at bantamweight, before moving up to lightweight and picking up two more bronze medals at Rio and Tokyo.
The decorated amateur also won three gold medals at the World Championships across his career, notably beating Britain’s Luke Campbell to win the gold medal at the 2011 World Championships in Baku.
Despite their opponents not being confirmed yet, each bout will be for a WBA regional title.
German outfit AGON sports, who also promote Cuban IBF super-middleweight king William Scull, are looking to propel the nation into a new era of boxing starting with this April card.
