Saidel Horta Opens with Victory for Cuba at Independence Boxing Cup

A day after his team debuted successfully with Olympic champion Erislandy Álvarez (65 kg), 2023 world vice-champion Saidel Horta (60 kg) followed in his footsteps.

The judges' decision came by way of a 3-2 split decision against local favorite Ángel Estrella, in another demanding bout for the favorites with strong crowd support for the home representatives.

The Cuban defeat left Yailena Palomo (51 kg) out of competition, as she fell 0-5 in her international debut against local boxer Esther Jiménez.

From the venue, Cuba's men's team head coach Eulises Pouyout told JIT that this Wednesday Erislandy will return to the ring and two-time Olympic champion Julio César La Cruz (+90 kg) will make his debut.

Their opponents will be home contender Ezequiel Martínez and Barbados' Seht Lawrence, respectively.