Julio Cesar La Cruz

Havana, January 11 (RHC)-- Cuban two-time Olympic champions Julio Cesar La Cruz and Arlen Lopez celebrated their presence in the recently updated World Boxing Council (WBC) rankings.

La Cruz is ranked 20th in the cruiserweight division, led by Armenian-German Noel Mikaelyan, and the semi-complete Arlen occupies the 27th spot in a list that has Englishman Callum Smith at the top.

Both stars of the island won the two games played last year in professional circuits as part of the Domadores de Cuba franchise, which has 15 hits in 16 outings since its debut at that level in May.

Alberto Puig de la Barca, president of the Cuban Boxing Federation, stressed that these first appearances in the WBC rankings contribute to the purpose of making higher-ranking duels in the current season.

"It makes them more attractive for promoters," he recalled before assuring that this is a step that can be joined by other consecrated fighters such as Roniel Iglesias (super welter), Yoenlis Hernandez (medium) and Lazaro Alvarez (super lightweight).

In a similar vein, Gerardo Saldivar, head of the Golden Ring company, which manages the Domadores de Cuba's incursions, said.

"In general, it can take years or many fights for a professional boxer to reach this ranking," he said, convinced that this is "a recognition of the quality of Cuban boxing".