Finally young Mikael Zewski of Quebec City solved the Cuban riddle. The 20-year-old Canadian boxer became the first to beat a Cuban at the XV AIBA World Championships in Milan, and he did it in front of his father, mother and girlfriend. What a family party!

The welterweight bout between World Cup winner and Olympic silver medallist Carlos Banteur Surez and French-speaking Zewski looked a foregone conclusion. The young Quebecois with Polish origins had no international medals at all, but he is a four-time champion of his home country.

From 2-2 he took the lead, then increased his dominance and prevailed with a 5-2 win. After the greatest win of his young career he was happy to give an interview, while holding an icebag on his swollen, blue left eye.

"It doesn't hurt, just a minor bruise," he said. "I had full confidence in myself before the bout. I had already met Banteur once, two months ago in Venezuela when I lost by a small margin. I knew I could beat him. My coach, who happens to be my father, told me that the key to victory was discipline and speed. I was able to follow his advice."

His father/ coach, Jean Zewski, was understandably proud of his boy. "He has inherited my left hook, as I was a boxer too, though not as good a boxer as Mikael. He took up boxing nine years ago, participated at the 2005 Liverpool Cadet (now Junior) World Championships and at the 2006 Agadir Junior World Championships. Here in Milan I told him to use his jab and speed, and he did so."

Young Mikael had a very special audience here at the Mediolanum Forum: his mother, Nathalie, and girlfriend, Sabrina. Everybody from the Zewski family is hoping that the party is not over yet for Mikael.

The 26-year-old Bulgarian Detelin Dalakliev beat Mehmet Topcakan of Turkey in a bantamweight bout, 7-1. The experienced boxer from the south-eastern Bulgarian town of Sliven dominated the match.

"I have the best coach in the world in the legendary Petar Lesov, the flyweight Olympic champion from the Moscow Games," said Dalakliev. "I was silver medallist in Liverpool last year at the European Championships, but I felt I had not lost the final against Luke Campbell of England. This time I want to prove that I am the best boxer at bantamweight," Dalakliev said.