Lázaro Álvarez Estrada

Cuban boxer. Álvarez won the gold medal in the bantamweight division at the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championship in Baku.

Bronze medalist at the 2012, 2016 Olympics and Tokyo 2020, in these latter games Albert Batyrgaziev (ROC) secured the pass to the final in an evenly matched bout that was decided by points by the narrowest of margins, 3:2. He has also been a Pan American champion and world champion.

He is a Cuban boxer who has competed in the 56 and 60 kg weight classes.

Career

In the final of the 2011 World Championship, he defeated Luke Campbell of England, after 3 rounds, with a final score of 14-10.

That same year he also won the 2011 Pan American title against Mexican Oscar Valdez.

At the 2012 London Olympic Games, he defeated American Joseph Diaz and Robenílson Vieira but lost to Irish John Joe Nevin 14-19, thus winning bronze.

Born in Pinar del Río, in a town known as La Cooperativa, in San Juan y Martínez. He practiced athletics and handball before choosing boxing, encouraged especially by his first trainer, Raúl León.

In the lower categories he won a gold medal at the National School Games in the 15-16 age category at 50 kg and a silver medal at the 2007 Cadet World Championship.

Sports Career
2009 - 2012
He was crowned at the XVI Pan American Games held in 2011 in Guadalajara, where he won the gold medal, which earned him the selection as Rookie of the Year in Cuba.

The following year, and already established as the main figure in his division in Cuba, he won gold at the Batalla de Carabobo Tournament and the Cumaná Pan American Qualifier, both in Venezuela. He also won at the International Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament in Havana and at the National Team Championship of Cuba.

Lázaro Álvarez was Cuba's representative in the 56 kg at the 2012 London Olympic Games. There he won a bronze medal; an excellent result to which he added a silver at the 51st edition of the prestigious National Boxing Championship Playa Girón, held in Santi Spíritus in December 2012, where he was defeated 15-8 by the 52 kg Olympic champion, Robeisy Rámírez.

2013 - 2016
In 2013 he joined the Domadores de Cuba franchise that participated in the World Series of Boxing. He started fighting at 56 kg, but in October he moved to 60 kg.

Shortly before, in September, he held his last fights at 56, during the Golden Belt Tournament in Constanza, Romania, where he defeated local Razvan Andreiana for the title. In September of that year, after the International Boxing Association rankings were updated, he ranked second in the world boxing rankings at 56 kilos, accumulating 1,950 points, behind Irishman John Nevin (2,350), at the same level as second.

He won a gold medal in the 60 kg category at the World Boxing Championship held in Almaty, Kazakhstan in October 2013, where Cuba finished second by teams.

On December 22, during the Playa Girón Boxing Tournament, held in Santi Spíritus, he defeated Michel Sarría of Havana in the final, winning the gold medal and placing on the honor roll as the most technical.

During 2014 he defended the 60 kg division in the Domadores de Cuba franchise and on October 13 of that year he competed in the Mohammed VI Cup of boxing, held in the city of Marrakech, Morocco, where he defeated Senegalese Wade Ibrahina 3-0[6] in his first fight. However, he could not participate in his second fight due to a stomach condition.

The following month he would win the crown at the XXII Central American and Caribbean Games, held in Veracruz, Mexico, in November by defeating local Lindolfo Delgado by a vote of 3-0.

In 2015 he returned to defend the 60 kg division of the Domadores de Cuba franchise: On February 6 at the City Sports Coliseum, Havana, he defeated Jun Shan 3-0, hitting at will, where the Domadores de Cuba reached 20 consecutive successes by sweeping the Dragones de China and confirming the leadership in Group A of the V World Series of Boxing.

On February 20 at this same venue he defeated French Oualid Belaoura of the Corazones de León of Great Britain 3-0 to maintain their undefeated record in this competition. On March 7 he achieves victory (3-0) against Abdellah Boudrar, of the Leones de Atlas of Morocco, in the Moroccan city of Casablanca. His Group A solidifies at the top of this World Series. On March 21 at the Palace of Sports in Moscow, he again defeated Russian Artur Subkhankulov in a complicated fight that ended (2-1), keeping his team undefeated. On April 10 at the City Sports Coliseum, Havana, he wins 3-0 against William Zepeda of the Guerreros de México. His team advances to the semifinals with 36 points, unattainable for the remaining members of Group A. On May 22, in the semifinal of the V World Series of Boxing, again at the City Sports Coliseum in Havana, he defeated Lindolfo Delgado of the Guerreros de México 3-0. On June 21 on the final card he defeated his opponent Zakir Safiullin of the Lobos de Astaná of Kazakhstan 2-1 in the Kazakh capital, but his Domadores de Cuba team could not win the title of the V World Series, losing the opportunity to win in successive editions.

His major event in 2015 was the XVII Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, where he won in the final against Mexican Lindolfo Delgado by a vote of 3-0. Then, on October 15, he would be crowned world champion for the third time by disposing of Azerbaijani Elvin Mamishada in the final of this championship held in Doha, Qatar. This victory would also secure him an Olympic passport.

On January 30, 2016, in his debut in the VI World Series of Boxing, in Istanbul, he defeated Yasin Yilmaz of the Conquistadores de Turquía 3-0, whom his Domadores de Cuba team swept 5-0. On February 29 he won his second outing in this VI World Series against Viktor Slavinskyi, of the Otomans de Ucrania, which he sealed by inflicting a pair of knockdowns in the final round to leave no doubt about the advantage exercised at the Palace of Sports in the city of Kharkiv. On April 22 at the City Sports Coliseum of Havana, he won 3-0 against Lindolfo Delgado of the Guerreros de México who received a sweep from the Domadores in the semifinals. On May 6 again at the City Sports Coliseum in the semifinals he defeated Elnur Abduraimov of the Tigres de Uzbekistán 3-0, where his team also swept the visitors. On June 4 in the final fight of this VI Series that took place in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, he defeated Luke McCormack of the Corazones de León Británicos 3-0. His team was crowned champion of the tournament by defeating their opponents 9-1.

At the XXXI Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016 on August 9, he defeated Italian Carmine Tommasone 3-0, maintaining the undefeated streak of the Cuban team and advancing to contend for a medal in the competition. On August 13 he was defeated 3-0 in his second fight against Brazilian Robson Conceicao and could not contest for the gold medal, as happened to him in London 2012, so on this occasion he finished third, obtaining bronze.

2017 - 2021
On April 21, again representing the Domadores de Cuba team in the VII World Series of Boxing, at the City Sports Coliseum, in Havana, he defeated Albeiro Paredes of the Heroicos de Colombia 3-0, whom the Cuban team swept 5-0 in their sixth outing, taking the top of Group A. On May 19 at this same venue in the quarterfinals, he defeated Elnur Abduraimov of the Tigres de Uzbekistán 3-0 for the third time. His team achieved a sweep to advance to the semifinals. On June 9 again at the City Sports Coliseum he won in the semifinals 3-0 against Albeiro Paredes of the Heroicos de Colombia in a 5-0 sweep provided to the opposing team by the Domadores in the C-2 format. On July 15 in the final fight of this VII World Series of Boxing held at the Palace of Sports of Kazakhstan, he was defeated 2-1 by Zakir Safiullin of the Lobos de Astaná who won the crown 6-5.

On June 19 of that year he won the gold medal at the Pan American Boxing Championship held in Tegucigalpa, capital of Honduras, by defeating his opponent American Delante Johnson 4-1.

On September 2 he won the silver medal at the World Boxing Championship held in Hamburg, Germany, by losing 0-5 to French Sofiane Oumiha.

On December 20 of that year he won the crown in the 60 kg division by defeating Havana native Armando Martínez 5-0 at the LVI National Boxing Tournament Playa Girón, held in Sancti Spíritus.

In 2018 he made his debut in February during the qualifying rounds of the VIII World Series of Boxing, at the City Sports Coliseum of Havana, defeating his opponent Shunkor Abdurasulov of the Tigres de Uzbekistán 3-0 in the 60 kg category. His Domadores team swept their opponents 5-0. On March 24, in a match held at the José María Vargas Dome, in La Guaira (Venezuela), he won his second outing 3-0 against Luis Cabrera of the Caciques de Venezuela. On April 13, in the Colombian municipality of Soledad, he defeated Duvan Zuleta of the Heroicos de Colombia 3-0 without needing to overextend himself, reaching a total of 25 victories with two losses. The Cuban team reached 15 points, ensuring their participation in the quarterfinals. On May 18 in the semifinal fights, held in Paris, capital of France, he was defeated 2-0 (47-47, 50-44, 49-44) by Sofiane Oumiha of the Gallos de Peleas de Francia, who had left him with a silver medal in the final of the previous World Series. On September 28 in the city of Xiamen, China, he defeated Zakir Safiullin of the Astana Arlans de Kazajistán 3-0. His Domadores de Cuba team won its third crown in World Series of Boxing by completing a 7-3 success against their opponents.

On March 11 he secured one of the first spots for the 2018 Barranquilla Central American and Caribbean Games, by defeating 3-0 at the Qualifying Tournament held in Tijuana, Mexico, host Alberto Mora.

At the Copa Química held in June 2018 in the city of Halle, Germany, he won the crown by defeating American Keyshawn Shadalov 3-2.

He was part of the Cuban delegation that represented the Island at the XXIII Central American and Caribbean Games held in Barranquilla, Colombia, from July 19 to August 3, 2018, which was flagged on July 7 at the monolith that guards the ashes of the leader of the Revolution Fidel Castro, in the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, in the city of Santiago de Cuba, where on August 2 he won the gold medal by defeating Trinidadian Michael Alexander (5-0).

On December 20 in the final fight of the 57th edition of the Playa Girón Boxing Tournament, held at the Rafael Fortún Multipurpose Hall in Camagüey, he defeated Spiritan Durielki Palmero 5-0 to win the title in this competition.

He won a bronze medal on April 6, 2019 at the Qualifying Tournament held in Managua, Nicaragua, securing his place at the Lima Pan American Games. On April 10 in the final of this same tournament he was defeated 3-2 by Dominican Leonel de Los Santos, so he won the silver medal.

On May 11 of that year, at the Copa Gobernador boxing tournament in San Petersburg, he was defeated 1-4 by Belarusian Dmitry Asanov, winning the silver medal.

He was part of the national team that attended the XVIII Pan American Games of Lima 2019, where he won the gold medal by defeating Dominican Leonel de Los Santos 3-2.

In September 2019 he participated in the World Boxing Championship held in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, in the 57 kg category, where in a controversial 3-2 decision he was defeated in the contest for the gold in the final stretch of the second round, when a cut in his left superciliary arch conditioned the stoppage of the bout against Uzbek Mikazizbek Mirzakhalilov. It was caused by a headbutt from the champion of the Asian Games, but the referee considered it unintentional and the judges exercised their decision: two placed the West Indian ahead 20-18, one assigned the same score to his opponent, and the remaining pair gave draws (19-19). As there was no majority of three to decree a winner, those who initially saw the actions tied decided in favor of Mikazizbek.

At the Cuban Boxing Challengers Match held at the Rafael Fortún Palace of Sports, in Camagüey on November 27, 2020, he won against Mayabeque native Osvel Caballero in the 57 kg category. In December of that year on the final day of the confrontation among the best exponents of Cuban boxing, which was held at the National School of that sport "Holveín Quesada", in Havana, he defeated Osvel Caballero García again 3-0.

On August 3, 2021, at the XXXII Olympic Games of Tokyo 2020 held that year due to COVID-19, he won a bronze medal in the 57 kg division by being defeated 3-2 by Russian Albert Batyrgaziev in the semifinals.

He participated in the World Boxing Championship in Belgrade, Serbia, where on October 27, 2021 he was defeated 5-0 in his first presentation against Japanese Hayato Tsutsumi contrary to all predictions.

2022 - 2024
On May 21, 2022 on the professional card that took place at the Palenque of the San Marcos National Fair, in Mexico, he won against hometown idol Francisco Mercado, winning by unanimous decision (3-0) in a bout marked by his speed, good handling of the lead hand and the combinations he used at precise moments.

At the National Playa Girón Tournament held in June 2022 at the Rafael Fortún Palace of Sports in Camagüey he won the title in the 60 kg division, after defeating Guantanamo native Rafael Joubert 5-0.

On July 22 of that year at the professional boxing event held in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra he defeated Argentine Alex Torres by unanimous decision in an eight-round bout, maintaining his undefeated record in such venues. He almost celebrated in the opening chapter, when he sent the South American to the canvas, but he could not find the formula to seal the action and ended up winning based on sustained dominance. The judges assigned him scores of 79-77, 80-71 and 77-72.

On November 5 at the World Cup of Boxing Cologne 2022, in Germany, he won the gold medal in his division (63.5 kg), defeating French Lounes Hamraoui 5-0 on points.

On November 13, 2022 he raised to 17 the consecutive victories of Domadores de Cuba in professional boxing by winning on a card organized in the city of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. In the first foray of his franchise in such venues on the European continent, he faced local Xavier Kohlen in the 135 lbs division, who had 12 wins (six KOs) and one loss in his record.

On January 28, 2023 he won for the fourth consecutive time and Domadores de Cuba had a successful debut in the current professional boxing season. In the city of San Pedro Garza García (Mexico), he won by technical knockout after four rounds against the well-seasoned host Sergio "Dandy" Puente, in a lightweight division bout set for eight rounds. In the second and fourth segments he sent to the canvas a man who did not come out for the next round and left the ring with his sixteenth loss in 44 fights, becoming the top winner of his franchise.

Awards and Recognition
Selected among Cuba's most outstanding athletes of 2012.
Best athlete of 2012 in boxing.
Selected among the ten best athletes of 2013 in Cuba.
Most outstanding male athlete in individual sport in the province of Pinar del Río in 2013.
Selected among the 12 best athletes of 2014 in Pinar del Río.
Selected among the 10 best athletes of 2015 in Cuba.
Selected as the best athlete of the year in male individual sport in the province of Pinar del Río in 2015.
Selected among the 10 best athletes of 2016 in Pinar del Río.
Olympic Button, presented to members of the Cuban delegation that represented the Island at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.
Selected among the ten most outstanding athletes of 2017 in Pinar del Río.
Selected among the 10 best athletes of 2017 in Cuba.
Selected exceptionally, sharing this distinction with his teammate Roniel Iglesias, as the best male individual athlete in Pinar del Río in 2018.
In the annual survey sponsored by INDER authorities and specialized press from the nation to the provinces to select Cuba's best athletes, he was given along with other medalists at the world level a recognition for his performance in 2018.
Selected by votes collected by INDER and the Sports Journalists Circle of UPEC, among the ten most outstanding athletes of 2019, in Cuba, with 100 of 220 votes counted.
Selected as the best male athlete in individual disciplines in the province of Pinar del Río in 2019.
Selected among the seven most outstanding athletes of 2021 in Pinar del Río.
In the selection of Cuba's best athletes in 2021 by INDER and specialized press he received a mention.
In the traditional voting involving journalists and sports officials in Cuba, he received a mention for his performance in 2022.
Selected together with Roniel Iglesias as the best male athlete in individual sports of Pinar del Río in 2022.