Photo: Punching Grace – In 2024, who are the 10 best professional fighters of Cuban boxing?
In recent years, there has been a great influx of Cuban boxers into the professional arena. The routes chosen by these young men who leave Cuba or stay in other countries are diverse, but one thing they do have in common is that they carry with them a backpack full of dreams and illusions.
Nowadays, it is rare to see a major card organized by the best promoters that does not have at least one Cuban fighting on it. In fact, Cuban boxing talent has diversified so much that promoters who previously did not look kindly on those from the ‘Greater Antilles’ have changed their minds.
Currently, we can find Cuban talent within top-level stables such as Top Rank (Robeisy Ramirez), PBC (David Morrell Jr, Erislandy Lara), Matchroom Boxing (Andy Cruz), Queensberry Promotions (Jadier Herrera), or Eye of the Tiger (Osleys Iglesias).
In fact, a Canadian friend and journalist who has been closely involved with Cuban boxing for some time and who has been working closely on Osley’s career, asked me where I would place the Cuban super-middleweight on a pound-for-pound list of current Cuban boxers, so I set out to create it and argue for it taking into account some parameters such as his career, rivals faced, most notable results, place in the rankings, probable progression, etc.
1. Erislandy Lara
Record: 30-3-3, 18 KOs
‘The American Dream’ as he is known is going to celebrate 15 years since his professional debut and despite being almost at the end of his career, he remains the only Cuban ‘absolute’ world champion of the present time, holding the WBA world middleweight melt (160 pounds). His most recent fight was precisely to defend said title last March and he won it quickly when he defeated the Australian Michael Zerafa by TKO in the second round. In his career he has faced big names such as Canelo Alvarez, Alfredo Angulo, Jarrett Hurt, Brian Castano, etc. Without a doubt he is the most successful Cuban boxer so far this century, which is why he would also be considered for a historic Cuban P4P.
2. David Morrell Jr
Record: 10-0, 9 KOs
He is perhaps the most talented Cuban boxer of the current generation, currently he is the WBA regular champion in the super middleweight division. He has athleticism and brutal punching power, accompanied by a great boxing IQ, all of which makes him a danger for every rival who faces him, which has caused difficulties in finding rivals of his level. Many specialized boxing sites see him as a future world ‘P4P.’ In his most recent fight held last December, he defeated the winner Sena Agbeko in two rounds and will be fighting again on August 3 in the light-heavyweight division.
3. Robeisy Ramírez
Record: 14-2, 9 KOs
‘El Tren’ was born with an innate talent for boxing, in addition to the technicality of the Cuban school he has a combativeness that makes his fights pure entertainment. His amateur career was spectacular, winning the gold medal in two Olympics. Currently he is the former WBO world champion at 126 pounds. But after his most recent performance against the Mexican Brandon Leon Benitez, whom he knocked out in spectacular fashion in seven rounds, his next stop should be a new world title fight.
4. Andy Cruz
Record: 3-0, 1 KO
Perhaps many will be surprised at the high ranking I give to the Tokyo Olympic champion with such a short professional career. But his talent is so great that many experts in the field such as Dan Rafael assure that at this moment he is ahead of several of the Top-10 in his division (135 lb). ‘The Diamond,’ is without a doubt a jewel that Matchroom is moving intelligently and has him on the fast track to a world title fight, which could come at the end of this year. His talent is absolute and his defence is elite. He can become a solid champion of several divisions.
5. Osleys Iglesias
Record: 11-0, 10 KOs
‘El Tornado’ was finally able to cross the Atlantic thanks to the promotion of Eye of the Tiger, a fact that has made him one of the most talked about Cuban boxers of 2024. His best attribute is undoubtedly his tremendous punch, he is one of those few boxers who send you to the canvas with a single blow. He is currently the IBO super-middleweight world champion, and so far this year he has entered the ring twice, obtaining both victories by ‘chloroform’ in the same first round. The last one was just over a month ago when he gave one of the most spectacular knockouts so far this year to the Russian Evgeny Shvedenko. Iglesias will be back on August 17 in Canada and we will all be eager to enjoy another great performance.
6. Frank Sánchez
Record: 24-1, 17 KOs
We may be in the presence of the Cuban heavyweight who could be the closest to becoming the first world Champion of this division for Cuba in the professional ranks. His last loss by TKO against Agit Kabayel makes him drop a few steps in my list; now he is recovering from an arthroscopy of his right knee due to an injury suffered in this fight. His most notable victory was against Nigerien contender Efe Ajagba in 2021.
7. William Scull
Record: 22-0, 9 KOs
This undefeated super middleweight is ranked number 1 by the IBF and has been the mandatory challenger for champion ‘Canelo’ Alvarez for almost two years. Although his record does not include big names, he does show improvement with each opponent he faces. His most notable victory was against Russian Evgeny Shvedenko in 2022.
8. Yoenis Téllez
Record: 8-0, 6 KOs
He is one of those atypical cases of Cuban boxers who reach the professional level without an amateur record. At only 24 years old, he is one of the flagships of the so-called ‘New Generation.’ He became known worldwide after arriving as an ‘underdog’ and delivering a terrifying knockout to the experienced Spaniard Sergio Garcia in the Spence-Crawford card. He is trained by the legendary Ronnie Shields and shares a gym with Morrell Jr. For those reasons, several specialists consider him a future super-welterweight world champion.
9. Lenier Pero
Record: 11-0, 8 KOs
Another Cuban heavyweight who is highly ranked in the WBA where he is ranked #5. Although he has been having a hard time finding opponents lately, at some point he should get the big fights. He has a great amateur record and is very popular within the Cuban community.
10. Jadier Herrera
Record: 15-0, 13 KOs
Finally, this 21-year-old has a great record for his age. He began his career as a professional in Qatar and his talent has led him to be promoted by Queensberry Promotions.
He has a bright future at 130 pounds…
