Erislandy debuted brilliantly at the World Boxing Championship

September 8, 2025

A solid debut by the Olympic champion (65 kg) provided the bright spot in Cuba's performance on Sunday at the Liverpool 2025 World Boxing Championship.

Determined to avoid upsets, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion imposed his classic aggressiveness, constantly pursuing the well-positioned Spanish boxer Oier Ibarreche, and won 5-0 on a difficult Sunday for his teammates Rolando Martínez (55 kg) and Jorge Soto (80 kg).

"I felt good, in keeping with the work we have done for this event, and I thank the Cuban people for supporting me," said the Caribbean boxer after celebrating the first step toward the gold bath he aims to give to the subtitle achieved in Tashkent 2023.

Martínez faced off against Azerbaijan's Nijat Huseynov in an even contest that marked his debut at this level. He finished at a good pace, with lots of heart, but the verdict came 4-1 in favor of his opponent.

Also making his debut, Soto fell 2-3 to American 2021 universal champion Robby Gonzales, who displayed speed in his footwork to avoid exchanges.

Thus, three Cubans remain in competition and five have been eliminated, as Jorge Cuéllar (70 kg), Nelson Williams (90 kg), and Luis Enrique Vinent (60 kg) previously fell short, the latter being the only one among them who will return home with a victory.

This Monday, star Julio César La Cruz (+90 kg) faces Iran's Amir Esmaeili, and a day later Erislandy himself will trade blows with Almaz Orozbekov of Kyrgyzstan, while Alejandro Claro (50 kg) will make his first appearance.