Two Time Olympic Gold Medalist and Five Time World Amateur Champion Julio Cesar La Cruz

Swerve Combat

Professional Boxing Makes a Comeback with First Professional Matches in Cuba after a 60-Year Ban

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA, August 26, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Swerve Combat announced today that it will broadcast the International Boxing Association (IBA) Champions’ Night held in Havana on International Boxing Day, August 27 at 9:00 PM ET.

The event will light up the Coliseo de la Ciudad Deportiva with six thrilling matches, including a double main event with multiple gold medal-winning champions in 10 round bouts. The main events feature two Cuban Olympic champions: heavyweight Julio César La Cruz and middleweight Arlen López.

La Cruz, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time World amateur champion, who recently turned professional, is considered one of the greatest boxers of his generation. Uzbekistan’s Madiyar Saydrakhimov will look to upset La Cruz to become the IBA World Champion. In the second main event, Arlen López, also a two-time Olympic gold medalist, takes on the Dominican Luis Antonio Tejeda. Tejeda, 9-0-1 with 6 KOs, seeks to continue his undefeated run after his recent upset of highly-ranked Richard Rivera.

The card also includes Olympic champions such as Roniel Iglesias and Erislandy Alvarez, who won the gold medal in Paris two weeks ago, as well as Lazaro Alvarez and Saidel Horta in competitive matchups.

Boxing is wildly popular in Cuba. The country has produced 78 Olympic medalists, including 41 golds. The success in the country is remarkable considering Fidel Castro banned professional boxing in 1961 to prevent corporate exploitation of athletes meaning the medals were won by amateurs.

It was not until 2022 that the country finally lifted its ban to help athletes earn more money and allow them to remain in Cuba as professionals, and the International Boxing Association (IBA) Champions’ Night: Havana is the first pro-boxing event to be held in Cuba since the lifting of the ban.

“This is a historic sporting event,” said Steve Shannon, CEO of Swerve TV, “Not only is this a wonderful matchup featuring world-class boxers, but it’s a new day for Cuban athletes to take their rightful place in the world’s spotlight fighting in their own country.”

IBA Champions’ Night: Havana takes place on International Boxing Day when countries around the world celebrate their love for the sport of boxing.

About Swerve TV, LLC

Founded in 2021 by digital media veterans Steve Shannon and Dan Keston, Swerve Combat is the first FAST channel focused on delivering free combat sports and athletic competitions while telling the stories behind the world’s most inspirational athletes. Swerve is available on Amazon Freevee, Amazon Fire TV Channels, Prime Video, Fubo, Google TV, LG Channels available on LG Smart TVs, The Roku Channel, Sling Freestream, VIZIO, Xumo Play, Lights Out Sports, and more, and is accessible in over 80% of US and Canadian households. Follow us on Instagram @swervecombat.

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Contact:
Steve Shannon, CEO Swerve TV
steve@swerve.tv

Stephen Shannon
Swerve TV, LLC
+1 650-400-6030
email us here

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