Cuba Gets its Fourth and Fifth Gold Medals in Rio from Boxers

HAVANA TIMES – Cuban boxers Robeisy Ramírez and Arlen Lopez added today two gold medals for the Cuban Olympic team by winning their final matches in Rio de Janeiro, reported dpa.

Cuba now has 5 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals and is ranked at number 18 on the medal chart.

Ramirez repeated in Rio his title won at London 2012 by defeating Shakur Stevenson (USA) in the 56 kilo category. Thus he became the sixth two-time Olympic champion in the history of Cuba.

“He [Stevenson] is a young fighter, who has good resources, but I went to do my boxing and I got the result,” said the Cuban, just before his opponent came up and two athletes gave each other a tight embrace.

A while later, it was the turn for Arlen Lopez, who gave his country’s its third boxing gold in Rio by beating Bektemir Melikuziev of Uzbekistan in the final of the 75 kilo category.

Lopez, a world champion at the weight, completed the three Cuban gold medals in boxing, after Ramirez and Julio Cesar La Cruz, who on Thursday took the 81 kilo title. In addition, the Cuban delegation had already secured three bronze medals in boxing.