Cuban boxing: Arena's fantastic four ~ Solis and Lara win by KO

Solis' opponent,the American Chad van Sickle,was a disgrace to boxing.His heart went right into his boots as soon as he caught sight of his Cuban foe.He didnt even give it a try.What a horrible sight for any fight aficionado was Solis' encounter with this bum!

 

Very interesting interview with Solis:

Odlanier can you introduce yourself to the American public?

Well, I'm 28, from Havana, Cuba. I was world amateur champion in 2001, 2003 and 2005, and Olympic Champion in 2004. My amateur record was 347-12. And you know my pro record, 12-0 with 8 KOs.

Those amateur numbers put you right up there with Felix Savon and Teofilo Steavenson. Let's go back to your defection from the Cuban National team. Want to talk about it?

We went to Venezuela in December 2006 to train for the Pan American Games. Our trainer takes us separately to tell that we will not be getting any money. You know what it meant: returning to Cuba at the end of the year to our families, empty-handed. I decided I had had enough. I chose freedom and I convinced my fellow teamates Gamboa and Bartelemy to do the same.

And how did you escape?

We skipped the team, got on a bus, and traveled 16 hours to the Colombian frontier. We didn't speak as to not to reveal our Cuban accents. We got to the frontier and they didn't check our passports. We thought that was the end of it.

But it wasn't?

I called Tony Gonzalez, a Cuban lawyer from Miami. He sent us money to go to Medellin from this little border town by plane. As I'm getting ready to board, a Colombian border officer asks me for my passport. He looks at it and tells me that I have no visa and that we have to go back to Venezuela where they were already looking for us. He sees the look on my face and asks "You're a boxer, right?" I nod. He hands back the passport to me and says" Get on that plane. Vaya con Dios (God be with you)."

And how did you end up signing with Arena ?

We tried to go to Miami but the US Consulate didn't give us the visa. Sure, we got some offers and the best one came from Arena. They arranged for us to go to Germany.

Two questions. How did you adapt to Germany? And how different has it been from the amateurs to the pro ranks?

Apart from the weather, no problem to adapt. I'm living in Hamburg and I now speak German. Sure, I miss my son. When I left Cuba he couldn't speak . Now, he's three-years-old and I love talking to him on the phone. Fighting as a pro? Skill-wise, I didn't have to learn much. The big difference is that I put more power on my punches. In the amateurs, they called me "la Sombra" (the Shadow) because I was so fast for my weight and so elusive. I'm still elusive but I hit a lot harder.

Has Arena told you how fast they want to bring you to being a world title contender ?

No. And I'm not thinking about that right now. My job is to fight and win. I'll get to the title soon enough.

You mentioned your win over Felix Savon as one of your best memories. You want to talk about that?

I was 18 when I beat Savon who was my idol. It was an earthquake in Cuban boxing. It was tremendous.I got home and I said to myself "Wow, you beat Savon !"

One more question, Odlanier. Would you like to fight in the USA?

Of course. If they finally give me the visa (laughs). Tell the American fans that they're missing out on la Sombra Solis (laughs). I want to fight in Las Vegas. Maybe next year, right?