Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Latin America
Latin AmericaSports

Cuba Ends Half-Century Ban on Professional Boxing

Posted byBy ABS Contributor | Published on: | Updated on June 20, 2013 CommentsComments (0)

After five decades of prohibiting its boxers from going professional, the Cuban government has done an about face and will allow boxers to participate in the World Series of Boxing, an international semi-professional league.

The announcement came Friday from the president of the Cuban Boxing Federation, Alberto Puig. According to the Associated Press, the boxers will fight without headgear and earn between $1,000 and $3,000 a month.

Twelve boxing squads will compete in the league from November 15, 2013, to May 2014. Other teams already announced are from Argentina, Mexico, USA, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Poland, Algeria and Germany.

”We are extremely pleased to welcome Cuba to the World Series of Boxing,” Amateur International Boxing Association President C.K. Wu said in a statement. ”With a total of 116 world medals and 67 olympic ones, Cuban boxers have always lived at the pinnacle of our sport. … We are convinced that this new franchise will bring WSB to an even higher level,” reported AP.

Cuban boxing authorities did not announce how much the Cuban fighters would be paid individually and how much would go to the government. Currently they are paid around $20 a month, an average salary for Cuban workers. Those winning medals at major international amateur competitions, such as the Olympics, receive undisclosed bonuses.

Former President Fidel Castro had ruled out professional sports as not being in tune with the country’s Marxist social ideals. In recent years, a small number of Cuban baseball players near retirement age have been allowed to play on contracts in foreign professional leagues.

Those favoring the opening to professional sports believe it will allow Cuban athletes to face stiffer competition and be better prepared to represent the island in international events.

Source: Havana Times

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top