Memories Havana

I was in Cuba where I trained for about three months and I followed a coaching course with el professor  Hurrutia, one month full time, and two of training with him and beaten by the national teams Cuba, Colombia, Brazil Ecuador; the Brazilians warmed up with the incredible bjj I discovered it only 2-3 years later, I saw them in the center of the ring that made berimboli.

How many punches !!! how beautiful!! The only one in the world without a national team; who thanks to Petro and Hurrutia had access to such luck, and how many gloves, one of the most beautiful periods of my life, the senior nationals of those countries,Cuba  Brazil, Colombia, Ecquador  and I did the training and spars with the Cuban junior national team, just to be clear.

it was 2006.

I took a taxi and as usual (since I’m olive with the sun) saying the destinations I arrived at my master’s house, then took another taxi for a few pennies, and we arrived in the center of Havana.

I remember very well that it was two in the afternoon when they started to fight, and without exaggerating there would have been 38/40 degrees, in the shade. We witnessed the weight of the athletes, the legendary action frame.

I don’t remember them all. Between matches; a boxer of 5,11  boy, who was 130pounds, won with a right hook he was left-handed, really phenomenal, he had been expelled from the senior team, it is not known for what big trouble, but it was really to be put under contract, physicality, timing, blow, eye.

There is such a large selection that already those who fight, and win a tournament there, is a phenomenon, in fact the Cuban team, despite zero money because there is no money, for no sport in Cuba, always makes results. Boxing can offer the chance to get better, or it can help you in many things but in Cuba you certainly don’t get rich by doing boxing, in fact many run away, you can only get better inside that system. I remember a fly weight at the time he too was part of the national team who won, however, struggling against an excellent opponent, in practice like attending an Olympic tournament.

proboxingfans.com

Later Solis Olimpic champion;

I remember it as if it were time, I was there wandering around, there are no journalists, there are no photographers but only professionals and some enthusiasts, not many.

Before the weight he was holding a bottle of, I did not know what it was but it made an incredible foam, and a giant sandwich I dare not imagine what was inside, I repeat that was an Olympic champion he had not eaten, he was having lunch before the match maybe one or  two hours before. He ate the sandwich and didn’t finish the 1,5 lt of that drink, he kept it in a kind of backpack.

Then his match; everyone was talking about it because his opponent was young and not very experienced, he made him two rounds in the last , indelible the direct right that knocked him out and woke up after a while. I remember the match; he dodged, put back a few shots, to keep moving, after sandwich and super-carbonated drink, then a move and that direct right and closed the match, large movements dodging millimeters, in short, a sparring session.

What a direct right! you really don’t forget it, especially if you are there a few meters from the ring, incredible.

We know that as a professional he has not done much or better he has not collected what he should have seen his skills, he was not a world champion, but he had the means and I can assure you, the double defeat against Thompson was the closure of his top fighter career which has not touched the crown. One of the many Cuban phenomena, which has not received what natural talent should have reserved for him, but we know that to get to the top of the world as a pro, talent and dynamite in gloves are not enough, it takes sweat and sacrifices and method.

But how nice it was to see it !! and how do you forget certain sensations, certain emotions, and tears of sweat in addition to tears, because you are there and you can not do anything to subvert a system (together with a thousand other systems who more, who less who always tries to oppress and exploit the weak);

I hate totalitarian systems !!!

Then they sport flags, and the ignorant classify a system with a political ideal. Democracy, however many defects it may have, is the system that allows us to express our opinions, to speak, to write, let’s not forget it and we don’t go after colors and religions, they are used to distract us from real problems, to turn against each other, fought for our freedom to unite to improve and improve it.

We need houses we have to find houses, we need money we have to find money, we need work we have to create it, we have to look with a long eye and not stop at first glance.

United, all united we can be listened to, this should happen globally, to solve all problems because the problems are all of us.

So my dear friends, we all remember that united we are strong; colors, flags, religions, political parties, today have the sole objective of making us quarrel among ourselves and distract us from recognizing and solving the real problems of the country and of the countries.

When i went down toMilan it was almost late October I had a shorts, a shirt and flip flops, the rest of it, I had given it to Cuban boys, I a miserable municipality on the European continent …

Long live justice, freedom and equality.

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