Cuba’s two-time Olympic Champions are in their Panamerican Games’ squad  

Cuba is one of the boxing powers in the whole globe and several of their stars are aiming for Olympic spots at the upcoming Panamerican Games in Santiago de Chile.

Cuba earned 98 gold, 21 silver and 17 bronze medals in the boxing history of the Panamerican Games and the country is the No.1 in the overall list of the event.

For the very first time in the event’s history, Cuba will send three girls to the Panamerican Games, following the women’s part of the sport was approved in the country last year.

Legnis Cala (57kg), Ariane Imbert Lamote (66kg) and a former wrestler, Yakelin Estornell (75kg) will be their first female boxers in the Panamerican Games.

Alejandro Claro is a 21-year-old talent with a bronze medal from the last World Championships and he won the national selection competitions to represent Team Cuba at the men’s flyweight (51kg).

Saidel Horta is another new addition to the national team but he earned a silver medal at the 2023 World Boxing Championships and he could be competitive to the US and Brazilian stars of the men’s featherweight (57kg).

Lazaro Alvarez is a three-time Olympic medallist, a multiple World Champion in our sport who moved up to the light welterweight (63.5kg) and he is aiming for a gold medal in Santiago de Chile and in Paris as well.

A quarter-finalist from the World Championships, Jorge Cuellar won the national selections and the 25-year-old boxer will compete at the light middleweight (71kg) in Chile’s capital city.

Cuba’s light heavyweight (80kg) No.1, the 30-year-old Arlen Lopez earned gold medals at the 2016 and 2021 Olympic Games but he suffered several unexpected losses in the previous two years.

Julio Cesar La Cruz is another veteran in the team, the two-time Olympic Champion and the five-time World Champion has still the speed and motivation to win the heavyweight (92kg) in the Panamerican Games.

Fernando Arzola is members of the new generation but he already achieved a silver at the Men’s World Boxing Championships in Tashkent.