Julio Cesar La Cruz

Havana, November 5 (RHC)-- Cuban boxing will have three stars in Friday and Saturday's finals at the World Boxing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

In the 75 kg, debutant Yoenlis Hernandez will compete this Friday against Russian Dzhambulat Bizhamov, after winning clearly in the semifinals against Italian Salvatore Cavallaro.

Meanwhile, in the 63.5 weight class, Olympic and world champion Andy Cruz will compete for his third world crown against Turkey's Kerem Oezmen, after beating Armenia's Hovhannes Bachkov in the semis.

Four-time world champion and double Olympic champion Julio Cesar La Cruz (92 kg) will cross gloves for the gold medal with Italy's Aziz Mouhiidine, who defeated Spanish-nationalized Azeri Enmanuel Reyes in the final.

Imposing his characteristic style of punching without hardly being touched, La Cruz dominated from start to finish on Thursday the Uzbek Madiyar Saydrakhimov, to advance to the dispute of his fifth crown of the planet.

In addition to the three wins on Thursday in the semis, Cuba added two defeats: Osvel Caballero (57) to Kazakh Serik Temirzhanov (3-2), and Henrich Ruiz (86) to the Cuban nationalized Azeri Loren Berto Alfonso, in a close fight voted 4-1, which ended with a nice gesture when the Azeri recognized the effort and raised the arm of his compatriot in the ring.

In Friday and Saturday's finals, Kazakhstan and the United States are the nations with the highest number of fighters, with four each, followed by Cuba and Russia, with three each.