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Havana, December 10 (RHC) – Cuban Arlen Lopez defeated Tajik Nekruz Salimov and stood out for Latin America in the International Boxing Association World Championship.
In the 80-kilogram category, the two-time Caribbean champion secured a 4-3 victory over Salimov, thanks to an additional vote in these tournaments when the initial score is 3-2, guaranteeing him a place on the medal podium.
López will face Uzbek Javokhir Ummataliev, the reigning champion at the World Boxing Championships held in September, in the semifinals.
The multi-medalist’s victory was the most outstanding performance among the four Cuban athletes in action, following the defeats of Giorvis Salfrán (51 kg), Fernando Arzola (+92 kg), and Julio César La Cruz (92 kg).
Salfrán lost 0-5 to Armenian Rudolf Garboyan; meanwhile, Arzola and La Cruz lost to Uzbeks Arman Makhanov and Turabek Khabibullayev by scores of 5-0 and 4-1, respectively.
Also on the card, Brazilian Arilson da Silva (57 kg) and Ecuadorian Marlo Javier Delgado (86 kg) narrowly missed out on medals for Latin America, losing to Russian Vsevolod Shumkov 5-0 and Armenian Rafayel Hovhannisyan 4-1, respectively.
