Cuban boxer Damián Arce debuts successfully in the professional circuit

March 23, 2023

Cuban boxer Damián Arce defeated Argentine Sebastián Castillo in his first fight in the professional circuit, ESPN reported on Twitter.

The fight in the 118-pound division and scheduled for six rounds took place at Luna Park in Buenos Aires. There, the Cuban inflicted his second defeat on a rival who had previously recorded seven victories, one loss, and one draw.

Arce's victory, by unanimous decision of the judges, was described by ESPN as a "dream debut".

According to the publication, the Cuban fighter was clearly superior to his opponent. The judges saw it the same way, with their scorecards reflecting a notable difference in Arce's favor: 59-53; 60-52; 60-52.

Damián Arce's victory brought to 21 the successes accumulated by the Cuban Domadores team, against just one loss, since their debut in professional circuits.

His fight took place 11 days after three-time world champion Cuban Lázaro Álvarez defeated Venezuelan Willmank Canónico in ten rounds and claimed the lightweight title of the Central American and Caribbean Boxing Federation (FECARBOX). This is the first title for the Cuban Domadores at that level.

Last January, Cuban two-time Olympic boxing champions Julio César La Cruz and Arlen López became the first fighters trained by the state Cuban Boxing Federation (FCB) to enter the World Boxing Council (WBC) rankings.

La Cruz, champion in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020, appears in position 20 of the cruiserweight division, led by Armenian-German Noel Mikaelyan. Light heavyweight López, champion in the last two Olympic tournaments, is ranked 27th on a list headed by Englishman Callum Smith.

The Domadores, who compete under the auspices of the FCB, debuted in the professional circuit in May of last year. That first card, held in Mexico and in which the Cuban fighters dominated their opponents, marked the return of Island boxers to professionalism, 60 years after Fidel Castro eliminated that practice from sports in the country.

The measure of inserting Cuban boxers into the professional circuit had been announced by the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) in April 2022.

According to the contract that athletes sign, the FCB determines where, when, and against whom they fight. The contract also stipulates that the boxer must return to Cuba after fights and that he keeps 80% of what he earns.