Cuban kids fight for new glory
Nine-year-old boys are boxing in tournaments in Cuba as the country goes all out to regain its glory days.
In a steamy Havana gym, Lazaro Perez jabs rhythmically at his rival, dancing, feinting and punctuating each blow with a grunt.
After the final bell, he thrusts a weary arm skyward. A proud smile spreads across a face still years away from feeling a razor.
Perez has just won Havana's first under-34kg champion in a new age category for 9- and 10-year-olds.
The Cubans are putting boxers into the ring earlier than ever. The idea is that those who start young will have a critical edge in moves and techniques when they start competing more seriously.
It is part of a top-to-bottom shake-up aimed at restoring Cuban boxing to its former glory.
Cuba returned from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing without a gold medal for the first time in 40 years.
"I started boxing to follow in my father's footsteps," said Perez, a wiry 9-year-old. "I'm not afraid. I'm fast, and I really like it.
“I want to be great like (Olympic and professional champion Yuriorkis) Gamboa, the boxer I admire most, and win lots of medals like (Felix) Savon."
AMERICANS START AT 8
It's not uncommon for children of his age to box these days. The International Boxing Association sanctions competitive boxing for 15 years and up, but lets national federations set their own rules for younger children.
Competition starts at 8 years in the United States, and many begin training at 7.
Since competition in Cuba's new age class began last year, hundreds of boys have been boxing in tournaments such as the recent city championships at the Rafael Trejo gymnasium in Old Havana, with its splintering wood bleachers and discoloured walls.
Strict rules keep the competition safe. A doctor examines the boxers before each fight and referees watch the action closely.
Bouts are limited to three 50-second rounds. Only straight punches are allowed, and fighters are supposed to keep their distance. Headgear is mandatory, as in all organised amateur boxing.
"At this age we teach the basic movements, the basic punches and defence," says Jo De Vrieze, a Belgian-born coach who trains children in the Cerro district of the Cuban capital.
"The idea is that the youths arrive at higher levels with a more advanced technical base."
It's a far cry from the Rumble in the Jungle or the Thrilla in Manila, but don't tell that to the kids, or to the parents who crowd the stands and cheer each bout as if it were an Olympic final.
Perez's father, also named Lazaro, yelled encouragement and advice to his son during the title match. "Let's go! Get him! Watch your defence!"
SECOND ONLY TO BASEBALL
Amateur boxing is second only to baseball as a national sport in Cuba, a country of 11 million people.
The island's economic difficulties keep the Cuban Boxing Federation from funding its programmes at the levels other countries do and make it hard to replace decrepit equipment and facilities.
Some top fighters have defected to turn professional, including Olympic and world champions Gamboa and Guillermo Rigondeaux.
Four years after Cuban boxers won five gold medals at the Athens Olympics came the Beijing fiasco. Cuba had another subpar performance at the world championships in Italy the next year.
They hit rock bottom in 2010 at the Pan-American championships, when Ecuador toppled them as the best boxing country in Latin America.
NEW COACH
The sports authorities vowed a total overhaul to get Cuban boxing back on track. The first move was to bring in a new coach, Rolando Acebal, who renewed emphasis on discipline, rigor and toughness.
"The change was decisive," said Savon, a heavyweight legend who hung up his gloves in 2000 and now works for the boxing federation. "Under Acebal, some things reappeared that had become a little lost."
Officials scoured the island for new talent. Savon, one of only three boxers to have won gold medals at three Olympics, scouted his native province of Guantanamo.
The result is a promising new crop of youngsters. Cuba took two gold medals and a silver at the world championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, last July.
Then they won eight of the nine titles at the Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
LONDON THE BIG TEST
The big test comes this summer at the London Olympics.
"There has been good work," said Stevenson, now a vice-president of the federation. "We have several possibilities for medalling, including Julio Cesar La Cruz," a 22-year-old light-heavyweight who was one of the champions at Baku.
Beyond London, the future rests firmly in the gloved fists of the kids dishing it out in the Rafael Trejo gym. The 9-to-10-year class is a pilot programme, only in Havana for now, but it could be rolled out to the rest of Cuba, where 11 to 12 is the youngest level of competition.
The move could give Cuba an edge over Puerto Rico, where boxing starts at 11 years, and Spain, where boxers can compete at 15.
"It's tough to start competing at 15," says Carlos Vargas, technical director of the Spanish Boxing Federation.
"When you're 17 or 18 and you hit international level, you're up against boxers with 200 fights under their belt."
At 13 years, Dayron Valdes, last year's Havana regional champion in the 44kg class, is already a veteran. His goal is to follow in the footsteps of his idol, La Cruz.
"I used to scrap with the other kids in the neighbourhood when I was six. That's why I signed up for boxing," says Valdes, sitting on a rickety chair and unwrapping his bandaged hands. "I want to be a very technical boxer; a gentleman."