Cuban coaches in demand

MILAN – Although Cuba failed to capture a single gold medal in boxing at the Beijing Olympics, the country is still considered the world’s ultimate training grounds for the sport.

Brazil, England, Venezuela, France, Thailand and the Philippines were among the nations that sent fighters for training in Cuba to hone their skills for the 15th AIBA World Championships here. The 12-day tournament ends on Sept. 12.

Cuban boxing coaches remain in high demand all over the world because of their expertise.

The Philippines, for instance, has hired Cubans Pedro Pacheco and Raul Fernandez in the past. Another Cuban, Enrique Steyners, is still with the Philippine coaching staff although he is not with the five-team here. Another Cuban, Dagoberto Rojas, was recently released by ABAP.

In World Championship history, Cuba has garnered 62 gold, 27 silver and 22 bronze medals since 1974. Note that Cuba did not participate in the Chicago edition two years ago because of political issues stemming from widespread defections by athletes, particularly boxers. Russia is a far second in the standings with 17, 13 and 14 from 1993 to 2007 but even if the USSR’s 15, 11 and 16 medals from 1974 to 1991 were added, Cuba would still be untouchable at the top.

By the way, only 53 countries have earned medals in 14 World Championships so far. Kazakhstan is the highest-ranked Asian country in the standings with six, four and nine – including a gold and two bronzes from Chicago. China is No. 21 with two golds, a silver and four bronzes – a gold and four bronzes came only two years ago.

The Philippines is No. 34 with four medals, a silver from Harry Tañamor in 2007 and three bronzes, two from Tañamor in 2001 and 2003 and another from Roel Velasco in 1997.

At the World Cup in Moscow last year, Cuba was back on top of the heap with six gold and two silver medals. Russia was next with three golds, a silver and two bronzes. The Philippines was one of only four countries to capture a gold with Tañamor doing the honors by beating Cuba’s Yampier Hernandez in the 48-kilogram finals.

Five countries showed up with Cuban coaches for the World Championships here – Algeria with Luis Arencivia and Rolando Perez, Thailand with Omar Puentes, Argentina with Sarvelio Fuentes, Ghana with Roberto Ibarra and Spain with Carlos Penate. Additionally, Cuba’s coaching staff is headed by Pedro Roque with Julio Meno, Humberto Horta and Julio Cesar Rodriguez as assistants.

Fernandez, the Cuban coach credited for Onyok Velasco’s silver medal finish at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, did not join the team here. He is a teacher at the University of Havana and a coach with the national pool. There are negotiations to bring Fernandez back with the Philippine squad.

****

Bantamweight Joan Tipon, 27, defeated Sri Lanka’s Kamal Gamaethiralalage, 8-3, in his first outing here last Wednesday and advanced to face Algeria’s Abdelhalim Ouradi who is coached by two Cubans – Arencivia and Perez. Ouradi earned his ticket to the second round by outclassing Indonesia’s Matius Mandiangan, 16-3. Tipon battled Ouradi yesterday.

Tipon overcame a listless start to finish off Gamaethiralalage with a flourish. The count was 2-all in the second round and Tipon had a slim lead, 3-2, entering the final stanza. But he turned on the heat down the stretch to win pulling away.

Tipon was tentative at the outset and couldn’t put his punches together. Apparently, it wasn’t a defensive strategy to tire out his opponent.

“I’ll be more aggressive against Ouradi,” promised Tipon. “Ouradi is much tougher than Gamaethiralalage so I can’t afford a slow start. I’ll step in to throw my straight after a jab instead of stepping back. The judges aren’t scoring points when you land an uppercut or a cross. They’re looking for straights so I’ll focus on that. Ouradi is a little slow so I’ll try to quicken the pace.”

Tipon said he’ll do everything to avoid an early exit.

“It’s a big sacrifice to be away from your family,” said Tipon who left early last month to train in near seclusion in Havana before proceeding directly here. “Cuba is like a forgotten place in the world. I couldn’t call home because there was no cell signal. We trained in a camp where all we did was box. It’s really perfect for training but I miss my wife and two kids.”

Tipon’s motivation is to work his way to the Olympics where ABAP chairman Manny V. Pangilinan has promised a P12 million reward for a gold medal in boxing. At the World Championships, Tipon said he’s also hoping to build up his bank account. ABAP president Ricky Vargas is giving each fighter a $100 bonus for every win – plus $50 each for coaches Gaspi and Chavez. Then, he’s awarding P250,000 for a bronze, P500,000 for a silver and P1 million for a gold.

If Tipon turns back Ouradi, he’ll face the winner of the bout between Jordan’s Mohammed Alwadi and Russia’s Eduard Abzalimov in the third round of eliminations tomorrow. Abzalimov trounced Ukraine’s Georghy Chygayev, 9-4, while Alwadi routed Chile’s Trejos Espinoza, 25-2, in their Milan debuts.