Cuban boxer Arlen Lopez imposes rank in Paris

Cuban middleweight boxer (80 kilograms) Arlen Lopez defeated today by unanimous decision the Turkish Kaan Aykutsun and got his ticket to the quarterfinals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Double champion under the five rings in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020, the ambidextrous Antillean, versatile and elusive on the ring of the Arena Paris Nord, imposed his rank in a complex fight against an opponent who debuted in these fights.

Lopez is one of Cuba's great hopes to climb to the top of the Olympic podium, in a sport where the island has won 78 medals, 41 of them gold, and ranks second by country in the historical medal count.

His compatriots Erislandy Álvarez (60 kg) and Alejandro Claro (51 kg), the latter a winner this day over Brazil's Michael Douglas da Silva, also got their tickets to the next phase, after two-time Olympic titleholder Julio César La Cruz fell in his debut.