Julio César La Cruz will return to the podium of great boxing competition with a record, after guaranteeing in Liverpool his seventh world medal and matching the brand of the legendary Félix Savón. “The shadow”, now in the super complete division, said bronze in the English city, where this Friday will seek to continue advancing in the steep crest to the top.
After going blank at the Tashkent 2023 World Cup and at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Liverpool’s appointment was vital for the cross, which needed to demonstrate that it can still compete in the elite. So far he has solved the exam with a good note, as he adds three wins online, the last one against the host Damar Thomas to sneak into the semifinals.
It was a triumph worked by Camagüeano, who had to come from the back, because in the first assault only one of the five judges saw him win. From the second round, the intensity rose a little and imposed its rhythm to then take out definitive advantage of 4-1, with decisive sweep in the last period.
The victory assures him the pass to the semifinals, an instance in which he will cross gloves with the Kazakh Aibek Oralbay, twice monarch of Asia and champion of the Olympic Games of Youth in 2018. The Euroasymatic, which surpasses Julio César in stature, has won all his fighting for sweep and must be a complicated rival.
Julio César’s great challenge goes through his sixth final, after playing six consecutive between 2011 and 2017. In that period, he won five world crowns and consolidated himself as one of the referents of Amateur boxing. His speed, his leg game, his movements and his rapid combinations cemented his riposta style that led him to the top.
Boxing World Cup: Two Cuban heavyweights already secured medals for other nations
Now, with 36 years, it retains many of its attributes, but sport has evolved and cost it more to impose its law and convince the judges. Anyway, he has already secured his seventh world medal, loot that can only boast Felix Savón. The Guantanamero won six consecutive crowns between 1986 and 1997, and said goodbye to the orb appointments with a silver in Houston 1999.
Erislandy Álvarez, infallible
The other medal assured of the Cuba delegation on Wednesday at the World Cup in Liverpool was the bronze in the median weights of Cienfueguero Erislandy Álvarez, who dismissed the Iranian Ali Habibinejad by sweep.
The southern, without being thoroughly demanded, got a comfortable and sober triumph, demonstrating that it is currently the main figure of the Antillean selection. In the semifinals they will see them with the Brazilian Yuri Falcao, who is living his best World Cup experience.
Yamaguchi and Esquiva Falcao’s
In addition to La Cruz and Erislandy, the island only has another letter to add in the medallero. We talked about Alejandro Claro (50 kilograms), who will be measured to Turk Samet Gümüş, current European champion.
