By ANNE-MARIE GARCIA, Associated Press
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
(02-08) 12:06 PST HAVANA, Cuba (AP) --
Lazaro Perez jabs rhythmically at his rival in a steamy Havana gym,
dancing, feinting and punctuating each blow with a grunt.
After the final bell, he thrusts a weary arm skyward in triumph, and a
proud smile spreads across a face still years from feeling a razor's
scrape. Perez has just become Havana's first under-75-pound
(34-kilogram) boxing champion in a new age category for 9- and 10-year-olds.
Boxing-mad Cuba is putting its athletes in the ring earlier than ever.
The idea is that those who start young will have a critical edge in the
sport's motions and techniques when they start competing more seriously
down the road.
It's part of a top-to-bottom shake-up aimed at restoring Cuban boxing to
its former glory after the national squad returned from the 2008 Summer
Olympics in Beijing without a gold medal for the first time in 40 years.
"I started boxing to follow in my father's footsteps," said Perez, a
small and wiry 9-year-old in black boxing shorts and blue T-shirt. "I'm
not afraid. I'm fast, and I really like it. I want to be great like
(Olympic and professional champion Yuriorkis) Gamboa, the boxer I admire
most, and win lots of medals like (Felix) Savon."
It's not uncommon for children this age to enter the ring these days.
The International Boxing Association sanctions competitive boxing for 15
years and up, but lets national federations set their own rules for
younger children. A spokeswoman for USA Boxing said competition starts
at 8 years old in the United States, and many begin training at 7.
Since competition in Cuba's new age class began last year, hundreds of
boys have been boxing in tournaments like the Jan. 21 city championship
at the Rafael Trejo gym in Old Havana, with its splintering wood
bleachers and discolored walls.
There are strict rules to keep competition safe for the preadolescent
pugilists. A doctor examines them before each fight and referees watch
the action closely. Bouts are limited to three 50-second rounds. Only
straight punches are allowed, and fighters are supposed to keep their
distance. Headgear is mandatory, as in all organized amateur boxing.
"At this young age we teach the basic movements, the basic punches and
defense," said Jo De Vrieze, a Belgian-born coach who trains children in
the Cerro district of the Cuban capital. "The idea is that the youths
arrive at higher levels with a more advanced technical base."
It's a far cry from the "Rumble in the Jungle" or the "Thrilla in
Manila," but don't tell that to the kids, or to the parents who crowd
the stands and cheer each bout like an Olympic final.
Perez's father, also named Lazaro, yelled encouragement and advice to
his son during the title match: "Let's go!""Get him!""Watch your
defense!" he cried, head bobbing and fists pumping as if he were in the
ring himself.
"Right here is the future of Cuban boxing," the elder Perez said.
Amateur boxing is second only to baseball as a national sport in Cuba,
and it's a point of pride among islanders that their country of 11
million people usually punches above its weight in medal counts during
international competitions.
But the island's economic difficulties keep the Boxing Federation from
funding its programs at the levels other countries do, and make it hard
to replace decrepit equipment and facilities. Meanwhile, some top
fighters have defected to turn pro, including Olympic and world
champions Gamboa and Guillermo Rigondeaux, sapping the national team of
experience and talent.
Four years after Cuban boxers won five gold medals at the Athens
Olympics came the Beijing fiasco. Cuba had another subpar performance at
the World Championships in Italy the following year, and hit rock-bottom
in 2010 at the Panamerican Championships, when host Ecuador toppled Cuba
from its long-held throne as best in Latin America.
Humiliated sports authorities vowed a total overhaul to get Cuban boxing
back on track. The first move was to bring in a new coach, Rolando
Acebal, who renewed emphasis on discipline, rigor, toughness.
"The change was decisive," said Savon, a heavyweight legend who hung up
his gloves in 2000 and now works for the Boxing Federation. "Under
Acebal, some things reappeared that had gotten a little lost."
Officials also stressed recruiting and scoured the island for new
talent. Savon, who along with countryman Teofilo Stevenson, is one of
only three boxers to have won gold medals at three Olympics, personally
scouted his native province of Guantanamo.
The result is a promising new crop of youngsters who so far have done
well. Cuba took two gold medals and a silver at the World Championships
in Baku, Azerbaijan, last July. In the fall, it reclaimed bragging
rights in the Americas, winning eight men's titles out of nine possible
at the Panamerican Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The big test comes this summer at the London Olympics.
"There has been good work," said Stevenson, now a vice president of the
Boxing Federation. "We have several possibilities for medalling,
including Julio Cesar La Cruz," a 22-year-old light heavyweight who was
one of the champions at Baku.
Beyond London, the future rests firmly in the gloved fists of the kids
duking it out in the Rafael Trejo gym. The 9-10 age class is a pilot
program in just Havana for now, but officials say it could be rolled out
to the rest of Cuba, where 11-12 is currently the youngest level of
competition.
Outsiders said that could give Cuba an edge over places like Puerto
Rico, which holds fights starting at 11 years old, and Spain, where
boxers start competing at 15.
"It's tough to start competing at 15," said Carlos Vargas, technical
director of the Spanish Boxing Federation. "Then when you're 17 or 18
and you hit the international level, you're going up against boxers with
200 fights under their belts. ... You find yourself at a disadvantage
with those rivals."
At 13 years old, Dayron Valdes, last year's Havana regional champion in
the 88-pound (44-kilo) weight class, is already a veteran of youth
boxing. He said his goal is to follow in the footsteps of his idol, La
Cruz, representing Cuba on the winner's dais while fighting with honor
and style.
"I used to scrap with the other kids in the neighborhood when I was 6.
That's why I signed up for boxing," Valdes said, sitting on a rickety
chair and unwrapping his bandaged hands. "I want to be a very technical
boxer, a gentleman."
___
Associated Press writer Jorge Sainz in Madrid contributed to this report.
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