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Cuban boxers are revered for their technique and toughness, but surprisingly, there has never been a Cuban heavyweight champion. Fidel Castro isn’t keen on allowing his boxers to compete professionally; He’d rather keep them fighting as amateurs well into their 30s to stockpile Olympic medals. But just as one day Fidel will be KO’d for good, so too will a Cuban boxer have his shot at one of the most coveted titles in sport. That day could come very soon for Odlanier Solis. The Olympic gold medal-winning heavyweight, who defected from the communist nation in 2006, is primed to get a shot at current champ Vitali Klitschko. All that stands in his way is a bout with number-one-ranked heavyweight contender Ray Austin at American Airlines Arena on Friday. Austin is a journeyman of sorts, but as boxing enthusiasts know, every fighter has his day (see: Buster Douglas).
Solis and Austin will battle it out in in the main event of Don King’s World Championship Boxing as part of a fight card that includes another Cuban defector, Angelo Santana; International Boxing Federation light-heavyweight champ Tavoris Cloud; Colombian Fulgencio Zuniga; and Nicaraguan great Ricardo Mayorga. King, never one to shy away from a good storyline, has titled the fight night “A Tribute to Freedom.” Ah, King, only in America.
Fri., Dec. 17, 6 p.m., 2010
