That defeat and constant struggles to make the weight prompted La Cruz, who has long been the captain of the Cuban boxing team, to move up from 81kg to the 91kg heavyweight division. I recovered and finished much better than my opponent.". Were La Cruz to succeed, he would become the heaviest boxer to do it with Hungary's three-time Olympic champion Laszlo Papp winning two light-middleweight titles after a first success at middleweight at London 1948. if(jQuery('.scrim .email-signup-module').length) { 30, 2012 • Zhang signed a promotional agreement with Dynasty Boxing, which is a promotional firm that specializes in the Chinese market. No Featured Athletes at the moment, TM © Olympic Channel Services S.L. Round 3 of 10, Nov DC Armory, Washington, District of Columbia, USA, Luis Ortiz WINS against Tony Thompson by KO in I have incorporated strength and other exercises while retaining the same speed and explosivity.". His former team-mate Robeisy Ramirez was the last to achieve the feat, winning bantamweight gold in Rio after becoming flyweight champion at London 2012. 10, 2016 • In 1972, Teofilo Stevenson of Cuba became a heavyweight Olympic champion, capturing his first ever gold medal. 23, 2011 • Cuba has produced some very talented boxers over the years, including heavyweights, light heavyweights, cruiserweights, featherweights and flyweights. Ortiz defected in 2009 to get proper treatment for daughter. In 1972, Teofilo Stevenson of Cuba became a heavyweight Olympic champion, capturing his first ever gold medal. 20, 2015 • I want Andy Ruiz. Wilder dropped Ortiz in the fifth but the Cuban escaped further trouble and mounted a rally. “He needs a fight, and it makes sense. That devastating defat by Fury was his first as a professional, and it was followed by a string of wild allegations and excuses from the Wilder camp. Round 2 of 6, Feb 02, 2019 • 03, 2014 • Official biography, fight record, and exclusive photos of professional Cuban boxer Luis Ortiz. Tyson Fury — UK. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida, USA, Luis Ortiz WINS against Zack Page by TKO in Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Luis Ortiz WINS against Byron Polley by TKO in Round 5 of 8, Dec $trg_elem.before('
'); Round 4 of 6, Feb 09, 2012 • The Outdoor Miage, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, Luis Ortiz Joseph Rabotte by NC in Gimnasio Joan Guzman, Guachupita, Dominican Republic, Luis Ortiz WINS against Juan Carlos Antonio Maldonado by TKO in These are some of the best Cuban boxers to … La Cruz's reputation did not faze his opponent one bit and, after a tight opening three minutes, Nurdauletov - who subsequently won last year's Asian Olympic Boxing qualifiers in commanding fashion - rocked him with a left early in round two and followed up with two more shots to bring about a standing eight count. In March 2019, Ortiz comfortably outpointed Christian Hammer over 10 rounds, setting up the anticipated rematch versus Wilder on November 23, 2019, at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, live on FOX Sports pay-per-view. For now, he is concentrating on this year's Games and winning a second gold. “I was robbed of the greatest comeback in boxing history. Harry Wills: For a time in the 1920’s, “The Black Panther” was the best heavyweight in the world and … It has also given him more time to adjust to his new weight class although a win over Rio 91kg silver medallist Vasilly Levit shows he is certainly on the right track. 16, 2010 • Round 10 of 10, Jul Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California, USA, Luis Ortiz WINS against Monte Barrett by KO in Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather has predicted this week that a new heavyweight icon will emerge from somewhere unexpected. 02, 2011 • In 2020 Yoka racked up wins over gatekeepers Johann Duhaupas and Christian Hammer and in March stopped Joel Djeko so he is rapidly making up … Wilder was seconds away from being stopped when the bell rang. 01, 2018 • "This guy (Flores) went three rounds with Joseph Parker and fought back, he went four rounds with Charles Martin and fought back. Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA, Luis Ortiz WINS against Matias Ariel Vidondo by KO in Club el Millon, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Luis Ortiz WINS against Santiago De Paula by TKO in "This is boxing,” said Ortiz, who slammed his glove against the top rope after the fight in frustration. Round 2 of 10, Luis Ortiz WINS against Frank Mola by RTD in Round 1 of 6, May Julio Cesar La Cruz will seek either a slice of boxing history, or revenge, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021. var temp_graphic_link = 'http://pbcham.ps/RuizArreolaPPV6'; - Top Heavyweight Boxing Rankings are based on a continous digital calculation of all major World Heavyweight Boxing Ratings. Those other guys needed rounds to stop him. "The key to victory is in the mentality, the technique and the tactics that we use. The 31-year-old Cuban, nicknamed 'La Sombra' ('The Shadow'), won light-heavyweight gold at Rio 2016 and dominated that weight class for years with his fourth consecutive world title coming in 2017. He said, "I always train for gold. Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, The Joint, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Luis Ortiz Lateef Kayode by NC in $trg_elem.hide(); Last fight: November 7, 2020 - won against Alexander Flores. Round 3 of 6, Jan Baseball is Cuba’s national sport; nevertheless, boxing is the discipline with the highest number of titles in Olympic Games (34). 0, Weight When I heard the referee say seven, I was trying to get up, but I guess the count went a little quicker than I thought.”. Cuba headed the medal table at the 2017 men's World Championships, although only lightweight Andy Cruz was victorious at last year's event in Yekaterinburg, Russia. La Cruz may have an orthodox stance, but that's about all that is orthodox about his boxing style. Rec Center, Wilson, North Carolina, USA, Luis Ortiz WINS against Corey Winfield by KO in The long-time heavyweight contender makes short work of his opponent Saturday night on FOX PBC Fight Night as he eyes the bigger names in the heavyweight division. List of famous boxers from Cuba, listed alphabetically with photos of the boxers when available. - Julio Cesar La Cruz speaking to Cuba Debate. Picture Credit: Golders/@joseangel.larduetgomez. Round 12 of 12, Mar Not yet heading into Tokyo 2020 (taking place in 2021), Savon is under no pressure to emulate his uncle and gain a gold medal. Hialeah Park Racing & Casino, Hialeah, Florida, USA, Luis Ortiz WINS against Daniel Martz by KO in Round 3 of 12, Jun As an amateur, he won a silver medal at the 2005 Boxing World Cup. The Cuban national boxing team are currently in the German capital Berlin training for the upcoming 2019 World Boxing Championship to be held in Russia. With Greco-Roman wrestling legend Mijain Lopez retiring after Tokyo, La Cruz sees himself as his successor as Cuba's sporting standard-bearer and intends to continue until Paris 2024. 28, 2018 • He won his first Pan American Games title in 2011 but the man he beat in the final, Brazil's Yamaguchi Falcao, exacted revenge in the Olympic quarter-finals at London 2012. Round 7 of 12, Mar With the clock ticking towards Tokyo 2020, Cuban boxers will again be expected to deliver for their proud nation. $trg_elem.before('