Local boxers won each of the weight classes at the Giraldo Cordova Cardin Tournament, which was held in the Cuban capital city Havana from June 1 until June 6.
A total of 92 boxers competed in the tournament from 13 nations: Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, India, Kazakhstan, Mozambique, Peru, Sierra Leone, Sweden and Venezuela.
It is a great success for the organizers that each of the AIBA Confederations was represented at the traditional tournament. For the first time a team from Mozambique competed in the tournament as preparation for the forthcoming All Africa Games, which will be held in Maputo.
AIBA Youth World Championships bronze medalist 19-year-old Yosvany Veitia eliminated his biggest local rival Daniel Matellon in the light flyweight semi-final and followed that with a victory against Kazakh teenager Anvar Muzaparov.
Youth Olympic Champion 17-year-old Robeisy Ramirez had a hard fight against India's National Games winner Santosh Harijan in the semi-final. The young Cuban won out and then beat Panamerican Champion Juliao Neto of Brazil by 26:10 in the flyweight final.
Former AIBA Cadet World Champion 20-year-old Lazaro Alvarez showed his excellent skills in Havana and won the gold medal with an easy 19:10 victory in front of the home crowd against Brazil's Beijing Olympian Robinelson De Jesus Vieira in the bantamweight final.
Cuba's Panamerican Champion 22-year-old Yasnier Toledo also beat a Brazilian opponent, Beijing Olympian Robson Conceicao, to the lightweight title.
Defending AIBA World Champion Roniel Iglesias and AIBA World Championships quarter-finalist Everton Lopes advanced to the light welterweight final, which resulted in the third Cuban-Brazilian match-up. The final verdict was the same, with the Cuban athlete winning the contest by 23:6.
Beijing Olympic Games silver medalist Carlos Banteur got back his throne after defeating Chechnyan-born Leon Chartoi of Sweden by 13:7 in the gold medal contest. Top boxers such as AIBA Youth World Champion Vikash Krishan Yadav of India and Panamerican Champion Myke Carvalho of Brazil both missed out on medals in the welterweight class.
Emilio Correa defeated his compatriot Ramon Luis in the middleweight semi-final and the Dominican Republic's Junior Castillo by 18:7 in the final.
Powerful 22-year-old Julio Cesar De La Cruz has been on the Cuban national team since 2008 and had enough experience to beat Brazil's WSB boxer Yamaguchi Florentino Falcao by 27:12 in the light heavyweight final.
Former AIBA Youth World Champion Jose Angel Larduet of Cuba surprisingly defeated his compatriot, the national heavyweight No.1 and Youth Olympic Champion Leinier Perot in the semi-final and followed this with a walk-over to the gold because India's Asian Games silver medalist Manpreet Singh could not fight against him.
Only three local boxers entered in the super heavyweight class where Beijing Olympian Robert Alfonso caused a big surprise in the tournament by beating Youth World Champion Erislandy Savon by a close 11:10.
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