Cuba claims third boxing gold at Tokyo Olympics

TOKYO: AUGUST 6 – Cuban boxer Julio La Cruz defeated Muslim Gadzhimagomedov of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in the men’s heavyweight division final here on Friday, adding the third boxing gold for Cuba at Tokyo 2020.

The Cuban won the bout on a unanimous decision 5-0.

In the first round, Cruz, three-time Olympian and Rio light-heavyweight gold medalist, outpunched his opponent and got four 10-9 favourable scores from five judges. The last two rounds turned to a cat and mouse game when Gadzhimagomedov barely got close to Cruz who moved faster.

“My team and trainers gave me a lot of confidence that I could win the fight, and they were right,” said Cruz.

“I’ve got two [Olympic] Games gold medals now but Paris [2024] is only three years away. I’ll go to the next Olympics and try to win a third gold medal for my country,” the 31-year-old vowed.

New Zealand’s David Nyika and Brazil’s Abner Teixeira shared the bronze.

-XINHUA