Julio Cesar la Cruz defeated Kenyan Ajowi Elly Ochola.   Photo/Granma.

Havana, November 6 (RHC)-- Olympic and world champions Andy Cruz and Julio Cesar La Cruz are seeking two more titles for Cuba this Saturday at the World Boxing Championship in Belgrade, Serbia, after the one won on Friday by debutant Yoenlis Hernandez.

Andy, two-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo-2020, will seek his third reign of the planet against Kerem Oezmen, in the 63.5 kg, in a fight in which he comes out as the favorite of the experts.

The same happens with the four-time world champion and double Olympic champion Julio Cesar La Cruz (92), who has much more experience than the Italian Aziz Mouhiidine.

If he wins his fifth world crown, La Cruz would be only one title away from equaling Cuban Félix Savón, the fighter with the most world boxing titles (6).

In the first final card, on Friday, young Yoenlis Hernandez (75 kg) defeated Russian Dzhambulat Bizhamov 4-1, to win Cuba's first gold in Belgrade and the first in his personal record.

Yoenlis, a debutant in the world championship, had as his main weapon his powerful left jab to keep his opponent away, in addition to combining with his effective straight and right hooks to take the favorable vote by 4-1 (triple 30-27, 29-28 and a 28-29 against).

According to the Cuban News Agency (ACN), Hernandez achieved something unprecedented: winning a world championship without having previously won a national boxing tournament in Playa Giron.

So far, Cuba has a balance of 25 victories and five defeats in the world championship, with one scepter, two silver medals (which may change their color today) and two bronze medals.

The flagship of Cuban sport has already improved the harvest of one title, one silver medal and one bronze medal achieved in the last world event in Yekaterinburg, Russia 2019.

This year, and for the first time in the history of the world boxing championships, fighters will be awarded 100,000 dollars for gold, 50,000 for silver and 25,000 for bronze.