Julio César La Cruz became the IBA World Champion in the 92kg category at the IBA Champions' Night in Havana last Tuesday 27th August after defeating Madiyar Saydrakhimov of Uzbekistan in the main event.

This was the first professional boxing event in Cuba since the ban on professionalism in the 1960s andLa Cruz, a two-time Olympic champion who narrowly missed out on repeating his success at Paris 2024, overcame a worthy opponent in 2021 World bronze medallist Saydrakhimov at the Coliseo de la Ciudad Deportiva. The event coincided with International Boxing Day and was undoubtedly one of the best ways to pay tribute to the sport.

The bout between La Cruz and Saydrakhimov was a rematch of the 2021 Men's World Boxing Championship semi-final, in which La Cruz triumphed by unanimous decision in Belgrade, and he won by the same verdict this time. It was expected that La Cruz would be elusive. The Uzbek would have to concentrate on closing the gap.

However, Saydrakhimov's attack was mainly aimed at the Cuban's ever-moving head, with little success. Meanwhile, La Cruz picked his punches with great precision before returning to his carefree, confident stance. The Cuban's quality earned him points as the fight progressed.

In the latter stages of the fight, Saydrakhimov chased the local favourite, but La Cruz's evasive work paid off and he proved too much for the Uzbek. Round after round, he defended himself perfectly and scored consistently. It was a tale of Saydrakhimov not being able to land enough significant punches on La Cruz, while La Cruz did what he does best: he responded quickly when it mattered most, and finished the 10-round fight as a unanimous decision winner.

The Havana card was packed with big names. Arlen López, another two-time Olympic champion who, like La Cruz, was unable to repeat his success at Paris 2024, secured another victory for Cuba with a complete domination of Dominican Republic's Luis Antonio Tejeda. López won the IBA Pro World title at 80kg. López's punishment was severe in the third round. He opened a cut on Tejeda's face. López gestured to the referee to check on his opponent and after a doctor's examination the fight was stopped, giving the Cuban a technical knockout victory.

Cuba's Roniel Iglesias, another double Olympic gold medallist, was declared the unanimous winner on home soil. He defeated Armenia's Gurgen Madoyan in the 67kg division. Madoyan tried to keep up with Iglesias but was unable to overcome the favourite.

Erislandy Álvarez, the reigning Olympic champion after defeating France's Sofiane Oumiha at Paris 2024, won the 63.5kg division. He defeated Colombia's José Muñoz in a fight dominated by the home favourite. Álvarez showed why he is regarded as one of the most promising boxers of our time and left the pundits of the Olympic tournament in awe. Lázaro Álvarez defeated Uzbekistan's Mujibillo Tursunov in another fight in the 63.5kg division. The Cuban won by unanimous decision. In a tightly contested opening bout, Saidel Horta defeated Ruslan Belousov of Russia in the 57kg division.

The spectacle of Cuba's Champions' Night came at an important time for the island. The International Boxing Association (IBA) took advantage of the Champions' Night celebrations in Cuba in support and celebration of International Boxing Day. 500 pairs of gloves were donated to children attending a free training session in Havana. 

The streets were filled with fans and supporters. The young athletes gathered in the plaza in front of the Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski Havana. This year's International Boxing Day coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first IBA World Boxing Championships, held in Havana in 1974.