Cuban boxing club ‘Cubaboxing’, featuring 12 boxers from the country’s national team, emerged victorious from the fifth edition of the Algarve Box Cup, which took place between December 8 and 10 at the Jacinto Correia pavilion in Lagoa.

The tournament attracted 98 elite boxers from 15 countries, with the Cuban boxers winning five gold and three bronze medals, followed by the Italian national team with three gold and one silver medal. Third place went to British club Leigh Boxing Club, which won two gold medals.

The titles of best male and female boxer went to Frederico Serra and Sirine Charaabi, respectively, both members of the Italian national team.

The organising committee made up of Sandra Silva and Andrea Antunes has hailed the event as an “incredible success and a mark of excellence.

“Transforming a municipal pavilion into a stage comparable to the best world arenas is an unsurpassed accomplishment. We wanted these boxers to feel proud to step onto the ABC Lagoa stage, and that was clearly achieved, as all teams ensured their presence in future editions of the tournament,” the organisers said.

The event was also streamed online to over 5,000 people, a “truly extraordinary” feat, they added.

Luís Encarnação, Mayor of Lagoa, also celebrated the event’s success, stating that “it is part of the municipal sports development strategy to host major events, promoting sports tourism in the municipality, and the Lagoa Box Cup is a major event. It was undoubtedly a tournament that contributed to the local economy and made the municipality of Lagoa known beyond borders.”