Cuban boxer Yuriorkis Gamboa was released on bail this Wednesday in Santiago de Cuba, two months after being arrested for his involvement in a fatal accident. His representative, Jesse Rodríguez, confirmed to the Nuevo Herald that the Olympic champion is at his residence in Guantánamo awaiting the Prosecutor’s Office to set a trial date.
“Gamboa is already close to his family and friends in Cuba,” said Rodríguez, who was also banned from leaving the country. “We know that a trial awaits him, but all efforts are being made so that this legal process does not take place, because it has been proven that Gamboa was not guilty of what happened,” the representative insisted.
The athlete was arrested in the province of Santiago de Cuba, where he allegedly ran over a pedestrian on December 31, 2022 in a dimly lit tunnel. The defense maintains that Gamboa was not driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, but that the pedestrian stopped unexpectedly in front of the vehicle and was unable to avoid it.
His lawyers also defend that a surviving witness and the reconstruction of the events seem to exculpate him, in addition to the fact that the athlete remained at the scene of the accident.
His lawyers also defend that a surviving witness and the reconstruction of the events seem to exculpate him, in addition to the fact that the athlete remained at the scene of the accident and tried to help the victim.
The news spread in several international sports media and circulated in the Facebook group Accidentes, buses & camiones, where the accident in the Songo La Maya tunnel was reported. Users also called for the law to apply regardless of who is responsible.
Gamboa lives between Miami and his native Guantanamo. In the US, he usually prepares before going to important championships and matches, such as his confrontation with the Mexican Isaac Cruz, in April 2022. In this fight, the Cuban was knocked out and left the ring in recent months.
Gamboa, known as the Cyclone from Guantanamo, is a decade-old 126-pound champion who easily takes on younger boxers. For now, his representatives expect “the fairest possible legal treatment” and his eventual return to the ring.
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