Two-time Olympic champion Roniel Iglesias

Havana, October 11 (RHC)-- The Cuban boxing squad traveled to Uzbekistan for a 10-day training base, before facing the World Championship to be held in Belgrade, capital of Serbia.

With only 8 men out of a possible 13, the Olympic champion team in Tokyo-2020 traveled on Sunday to Uzbekistan.

After the participation of the Cubans in the Tokyo Olympic Games, the boys took a break and returned to the National School of the discipline to face this demanding commitment, which they will attend with the aim of surpassing the three medals (1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze) of two years ago in Russia.

Before that, they will make a brief stopover to get ready together with the Uzbeks. This was confirmed to Radio Rebelde by the head of the technical team Rolando Acebal. "It is a short base but it is very important. We have to look for a better work-rest relationship and there we will have this possibility, besides we will have the rivals".

The "Domadores" had 5 casualties facing the Serbian competition, 4 of them because the fighters tested positive for COVID-19 and in the case of the double Olympic champion Arlen Lopez, he could not recover his sporting form. "The team's composition has changed, we are going with only 8 players. This is not positive at all because we lose the possibility of training these athletes. With them we intend to improve the performance of the last World Championship".

Acebal acknowledged that for this event they did not make a good preparation. "Since we started training the time has not been enough, because we have had situations with the pandemic. These are boxers with a great mastery and I think that with that they can make up for the physical issue".

Of those who did not go to the Olympic Games, held in the Japanese capital, the 57 kg Osvel Caballero and 67 kg Kevin Brown have the best chances of fighting for a medal. "In addition there is Herich Ruíz (86 Kg) who will have the opportunity to show his quality. In the case of Osvel whenever we have given him the chance to represent Cuba he has done very well."

The head coach of the Cuban boxing team, said that from these 8 fighters and the remaining 5 who could not attend the World Championship, will come out the men who will represent us at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. "We are going to go by steps, first the Central American, then the Pan American and then the Olympics. But this group has the potential to go to Paris, because we only have three years left and we are already shaping the pre-selection".

Rolando Acebal has not only been a trainer of boxers who have given so many joys to our country, but also has the honor of representing his people as a deputy to the National Assembly of People's Power. "I never thought of having this great responsibility of being elected by the people and belonging to the Cuban Parliament. There we are involved not only in sports, but in all spheres of the social sphere".