The Rise of the Cuban Boxing School M.DeTyrone

In the mid 2000’s it was Joel “El Cepillo” Casamayor Johnson 38-6-1 (22KO) who was representing the Cuban School of boxing at the highest levels. Who can forget his three fights where he ended up with a record of 2 wins and 1 defeat vs. Diego Corrales?  In the professional boxing Cuba has produced 14 World Champions they have left their legacy with such legendary names as  Luis Manuel “El Feo” Rodriguez 107-13 (49KO), Ultiminio “Sugar”  Ramos 55-7-4 (40KO), Eligio “Kid Chocolate” Sardinas 135-10-6 (51KO) , Gerardo “Kid Gavilan” Gonzalez 108-30-5 (28KO), Kid Tunero 95-32-16 (35KO), and Jose “Mantequilla” Napoles  81-7 (54KO) , who won the WBC Welterweight Championship by defeating Billy Backus by a 8th Round TKO on June 4, 1971. Napoles obtained a total of 10 successful title defenses until his KO lose in 1975, considered among the best welterweights in boxing history.

Boxing in Cuba is a popular sport with countless boxing coaches and boxers all throughout the island of just 42, 426 sq. mi., and a population of 11,167, 325 million people. The island of Cuba has produced great boxing champions in the pros and in the amateurs which they are recognized worldwide, as a historical boxing power house. In the pro ranks the due to the Cuban Communist Revolution professional boxing was banned on the island, but the amateur boxing remained and was cultivated.  The former North American Boxer-Puncher style of pro boxing was replaced by a Soviet Union system with the guidance of men like boxing coach Andrei Chervorenko. As a consequence, this has produced one of the most historic amateur boxing programs in the world.

Cuban boxers are known as sound technical out-boxer and boxer punchers, and are not the regular human piñatas or meat bags pressure boxers taking five punches in the face to land one punch that you see on the cable networks. Current pro boxers seem not able to handle the Cuban boxing style. Unless they are sound and well-rounded boxers and not just designed to face the style of pressure and swarming boxers.

There is a good deal of great boxing talent form Cuba and at the moment representing the Cuban Boxing School at the highest level. Among them is Guillermo “El Chacal” Rigondeaux 13-0 (8 KO), in my opinion, the best boxer in the professional ranks and the personification of an elite boxer. He is the WBO Super Bantamweight and WBA Super World Bantamweight Champion. This 2013 he gave the once recognized by the boxing media “Pound for Pound Elite Boxer” Nonito Donaire, a crash course in boxing at the Radio City Music Hall, NYC in 2013. 

Although the casual fans in boxing can’t evolve past the point of watching two boxers with limited boxing skills beat each other to a pulp, and they believe it’s boxing. It’s boring for them to see the art of hitting and not getting hit. They have been conditioned to see the constant pressure boxers, or they supported because it’s part of their nations boxing style. The networks are responsible and the promotional companies that cater in general to demographics with huge populations. In this era of boxing the casual boxing fans enjoy the glorified tough man contest, and believe that true boxing is a Rocky movie.

The problem is not Rigondeaux’s style but the lack of talent in this boxing era.  Don’t blame Rigondeaux because boxers can compete against his style.  Hopefully, more Cuban technicians like Rigondeaux are given more exposure and the continuous stupidity about “fan friendly style” boxers is put to a rest by more than bias boxing commentators, the causal, and the new generation of fickle boxing fans. 

 The majority of these boxers are based out Miami, Florida where there is a historically large Cuban population.  There  is Yuriorkis “ El Ciclon de Guantanamo” Gamboa 23-0 (16 KO), Erislandy Lara 19-1-2 12 KO’s the Jr. Middleweight WBA champion, Odlanier Solis 20-1 (13 KO), Richar Abril 18-3-1 (8 KO), Mike Perez 19-0 (12KO) and Alexie Collado 17-0 (16KO) both fighting out of Cork, Ireland, Rances Barthelemy 19-0 (12KO) the Super Featherweight contender, Yunier Dorticos 15-0 (15KO), Yodaris Salinas 20-0-2 (13KO), Luis Ortiz 20-0 (17 KO). More Cuban boxers will invade the pro boxing ranks once the Cuban government lifts its ban on pro boxing. In the World Series of Boxing a semi-pro league Cuban boxers are dominating the completion. Hopefully, they will be allowed to box in the pros and dominate professional boxing by bringing it back to its purest form.

This new era boxing fans will likely see the rise of the Cuban boxing school and the rise of boxers from countries that were part of the old Soviet Union. As a result, the possible downfall of other professional boxing schools in this era.