CAMAGÜEY.- When we thought that the Camagüeyan taem could only hope for keeping the crown for the 9th consecutive time at the 58th National Boxing Tournament Playa Girón — from December 13 to 18—, they have added the goal of earning an unparalleled number of medals for this type of contest.
“We are sure that we will win the first place by provinces again because we maintained the base of the group and the training has been fulfilled in a satisfactory way. The challenge now is that 14 of the 21 guys that will come up to the ring win a medal, something historic”, said Arístides Peralta, provincial boxing commissioner, to Adelante.
The nine athletes that are in the preselection of the Cuban Tamers have everything necessary to earn places in the awarding podium, plus other seven fighters that will try to crash the party. Kevin Brown, Yoenlis Hernández, Julio César la Cruz and Dainier Peró will go for the gold medal in their categories. “Damián Arce will try to impose in a new division, 52 kilograms (kg), but it will be hard, because he will face very strong rivals such as Yosvani Veitía and Jorge Griñán from Sancti Spíritus. Others like Raicel Poll, Damián Lescay and Yasnier Areu could surprise us”, commented Peralta.
Last year, El Mayor’s Warriors were only absent in two semifinals (56 kg and 64 kg) and harvested 11 medals: the titles of Arce, La Cruz and Peró; the silver of Ángel Nápoles and seven bronze medals. The excellency of the group is backed by the high technical level of their couches, among them two specialists and four finishing masters’ degrees. That is why, and for the discipline and quality of our fighters, that nothing seems impossible in the construction of the greatest fighting dynasty in Cuba.
El Mayors’ Warriors 2019
Yosbel Rodríguez 49 kg
Cristian Escoda 49 kg
Raicel Moncada 52 kg
Damián Arce 52 kg*
Miguel Hechevarría 57 kg
Francis Vizcaíno 60 kg
Joaquín Hernández 63 kg
Rogelio Gómez 69 kg
Damián Lescay 69 kg*
Kevin Brown 69 kg*
Arsenio Martínez 69 kg
Yojanler Martínez 75 kg
Yoenlis Hernández 75 kg*
Yasnier Areu 75 kg*
Yoel Hernández 81 kg
Raicel Poll 81 kg*
Carlos Frómeta 91 kg
Julio César la Cruz 91 kg*
Ángel Nápoles 91 kg*
Félix Parada +91 kg
Dainier Peró +91 kg*
*Members of the national preselection
- Translated by Elianna Díaz Mendieta