The Curse of the Cuban Heavyweights

Perez got knocked out. It has nothing to do with conditioning.

 

Gonzales had a lot of mileage on him when he turned pro. And even as an amateur his career results were up and down.

Perez left Cuba before establishing himself internationally.

Solis is another fighter with a long amateur career.

The difference between fighters from the old Warsaw pact countries and Cuban pros is that the Castro dynasty is still in place. A Russian amateur knows today they can turn pro. A fighter in Cuba knows they have to leave their country (which can be very hard) if they want to turn pro.

 

Funny, I was just watching a Nino Valdez fight this morning...his bout with Brian London, which he won on a tko...London having suffered an eye injury. Seems that Nino was immune to that weight problem so common to other Cuban heavies...he was rather well proportioned in fact.

 

Nino might be the best pro Cuban Hw.

 

I think Cubans have been pretty successful at higher weights in recent times . You have to consider a few things: (1) there aren't actually that many of them
(2) Gonzales had a ****py pro style, regardless of conditioning
(3) Hernandez and Gomez have both been very good cruiser champs
(4) Ortiz is still around. Shame on him for roiding, tho.
(5) Perez wasn't really good enough to be more than a contender

This really only leaves Solis as the embarrassment who had it, but blew it, imo.

 

Yes, the best pro Cuban heavy...I agree.

 

I guess it could be a culture shock thing. I don't know what Cuba is really like but I'm guessing life is tough the regime for boxers there is probably extremely strict.

When they suddenly get all these choices they have never had before in terms of distractions and food, it is probably very overwhelming. They previously didn't have much choice in eating healthy and training hard because their was no other option, then suddenly all you have is choice and most of them bad.

 

For the Russians, getting to the US starts the march to the title;

For the Cubans, getting to the US IS winning the title.

 

Except he lost to 38 year old light heavyweight Archie Moore twice(whom was marcianos best opponents) so he couldn't have been that good. Careful trying to give credit to 1950s heavyweights in these waters

 

Good thread. Cuban heavies. Perez and Solis have both disappointed. Solis has been terrible. Gonzalez was terrible. Style was not meant for the pros.

 

They have talent but they are way too lazy...

 

Ukraine was in the Soviet Union.