Colombia Heroicos halt the Cuba Domadores with tremendous turnaround to earn 3-2 win in Cartagena

The Colombia Heroicos continued their explosive start to World Series of Boxing with a third straight win of Season VII on Friday night in Cartagena. Heroicos have impressed in the early stages of their debut WSB campaign, but never more so than in this stirring comeback from 2-0 down against last season’s champions Cuba Domadores, which always had the potential to go down as one of the best matches in the history of the competition.

Two gifted Bantamweights (56kg) began the evening’s action, with the hosts’ Rio 2016 Olympian Leonel de Los Santos making his first appearance in the five-round format against the Cuban Javier Ibanez. Round one set the pace for a breathless night in the city’s Coliseum venue, Los Santos always looking to lure Ibanez in and deploy his powerful uppercut as the pair traded blows. It remained impossible to call between the two as the bout wore on, and despite a final flourish from the Colombian, it was Ibanez who edged the Judges’ decision at the end of five tremendous rounds to give Cuba the early lead.

Domadores’ Andy Cruz then extended the visitors’ advantage at Light Welterweight (64kg), brushing aside the challenge of veteran southpaw Jose Tordecilla with a consummate display peppered with devastating hooks, leaving Cuba’s Olympic Middleweight (75kg) Champion Arlen Lopez with the chance to guarantee all three points against Colombian Jorge Vivas. Lopez finished the first round stronger but Vivas, always dangerous, grew into the bout in the second and third, igniting the crowd with some heavy blows to earn a split decision and haul the Heroicos back into the match.

The Heavyweights (91kg) were fourth into the ring, Colombia’s veteran Deivis Julio Blanco given the daunting task of meeting the undefeated Erislandy Savon to keep his team in the match. Savon shaded the first round but then allowed Blanco back into the bout, the Heroico unleashing some powerful, clean hooks and uppercuts to carve some light between himself and his opponent which he refused to relinquish, inflicting Savon’s first WSB defeat in 22 bouts.

With the crowd fired up, the evening’s hotly-anticipated Light Flyweight (49kg) bout saw a rematch of the Rio 2016 Semi-Final between Colombia’s Yurberjen Martinez and Cuba’s Johanys Argilagos. The victor in Rio, Martinez was again able to stifle his opponent, and with the Cuban unable to find his all-important rhythm, Colombia’s Olympic silver medallist was able to reach his target repeatedly. Argilagos was left chasing the bout, and so it was Martinez who was deservedly awarded a unanimous win, earning a phenomenal victory over the mighty Domadores to go clear at top of Group A.