CAMAGÜEY - After the move last year of stellar boxer Arlen López from the 75-kilogram division to the 81 kg, the opportunity to take on a larger role in the med-weight division emerged for two athletes from this province: Yoenlis Hernández and Yainier Areu.
Both fighters are training at facilities in the province, as members of the national pre-selection, from which participants will be chosen, based on their performance and results in upcoming events, for the Cuban boxing team that will compete in the qualifying tournament for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Granma found Yoenlis Hernandez on the track at the Cerro Pelado High Performance School (EIDE), where he had just completed a test of his endurance in an exhausting 5,000-meter race, with five brief stops to check his vital signs.
-How do you feel after this long period of active rest?
-Although we are not yet at the top of our potential, I feel good and this can be seen in my positive response to the demanding physical training we are undertaking. Plus, now we have the support and advice of the coaches, since it’s not the same to practice at home alone.
-Do you consider the change from 69 to 75 kilograms traumatic or premature?
-I think it was the right decision by the national team’s coaching staff. Personally, I see myself as having a better chance of winning a title in the 75 kg than in the 69 kg, a division in which Olympic and world monarch Roniel Iglesias reigns.
-How is your adaptation from one category to the other progressing?
-I think it has been gradual, but fruitful. I made my debut in the 75 kg in the international arena at the Governors' Cup in St. Petersburg, Russia, in May of 2019 and, although I lost, it was very profitable in terms of experience.
Then, in November, I took part in a friendly bout at the Rafael Trejo Arena in Havana and trained with Uzbekistani fighters, current world champions, and I think I passed that difficult test well.
-At that time, it appeared that the Girón meet would be the ideal moment for you to take the crown in the new division. But it didn’t turn out that way...
-It's true. I lost 2-3 in a close final fight with my compatriot Yainier Areu. We’re good friends, but that's sports. We both want to be the number one man in the division and we will always be rivals.
-What must you improve to achieve that goal?
-I’m agile in the ring and have a good defense, but I need to throw many more punches, be more combative. I have also gained a little weight and I feel stronger; it was difficult for me in the 75 kg.
