Giraldo Córdova Cardín

Young revolutionary, boxing enthusiast, member of the July 26 Movement, headed by Fidel Castro Ruz. He participated in student actions against the regime of Fulgencio Batista and the attack on Moncada Barracks.

He was born in La Habana. Orphaned of his mother as a child, he did not go beyond the third grade of primary education. When he was 5 years old, his family moved to La Ceiba, Marianao, where he completed his first studies. Economic hardship forced him to work from a very early age. At 12 years old he worked at the "Fontecha" refinery and later on route 20, alongside his father.

A boxing enthusiast, he stood out as an amateur, and out of 6 fights he fought, he won five and one ended in a draw. That cheerful young man, lover of music and the sport of boxing, was also an interested reader of the work of José Martí.

When the Coup d'État of March 10, 1952 occurred, Giraldo, together with other companions from La Ceiba, made their way to the University of La Habana, and there they waited, in vain, for the weapons promised by the constitutional government to confront the coup.

From that moment on his character became more serious and more mature. On one occasion, he had a violent exchange of words with a lieutenant of the tyranny, who had urinated in the middle of a public street, because the bathroom of the bar where he was drinking was occupied. In the face of such a shameless attitude, Giraldo reproached him in front of people who were at a nearby bus stop.

When the military officer attempted to draw his weapon, opening his shirt, he said to him:
"Shoot and kill me, so that the people can see what kind of people you are."

He began to frequently visit the Orthodox Youth center, on Calle Prado, and there he became linked to the revolutionary movement headed by Fidel. He joined the cell of Fernando Chenard, and his companions were Pedro Marrero, Miguel Oramas, Gildo Fleitas and the Gómez Brothers. He participated in shooting practice that took place at the Havana university, in the Caimito quarries and on a farm in Artemisa.

On July 25, 1953, Giraldo was to take part in the Golden Gloves tournament, but was declared a loser due to absence. The young boxer had set out to the eastern territory to fight another battle. The Assault on Moncada Barracks, prelude to the last and definitive feat of the Cuban people for their freedom.

He fell heroically on July 26, 1953, in Santiago de Cuba, during the events of the Assault on Moncada Barracks.

The Cuban sports movement pays tribute annually to this martyr, through the celebration of the Giraldo Córdoba Cardín Tournament the first one did not have an international character, subsequently it opens to the world where boxers from all countries compete, among which the USSR, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, GDR, Mongolia, Korea, Chile, Venezuela among others have stood out.