Without mincing words, the head coach of the Cuban boxing squad, Rolando Acebal, criticized his trainee Saidel Horta on Wednesday after his early exit in his first bout at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Acebal expressed his total dissatisfaction with Horta, the 2023 World Championship silver medalist from Tashkent, for not following the corner’s instructions, which altered the fight's dynamics.
"Even though he could have won the match when it was stopped due to the injury, Saidel confused the tactical plan we had for this fight," the coach stated in remarks published on Facebook by Radio Rebelde’s special correspondent, official journalist Guillermo Rodríguez.
"The strategy was to surprise him with straight and explosive punches," Acebal explained, adding that after winning the first round by adhering to the plan, Horta did the opposite in the next round.
"He did none of what we advised. He allowed himself to be attacked, started playing defense, and got caught in clinches. That was not what we instructed; he was told to replicate the first round's strategy, and there was no progress from there. He changed his behavior," Acebal recounted.
On Wednesday, Horta recorded Cuba’s second defeat in Olympic boxing on French soil, following a loss to Munarbek Seitbek Uulu from Kyrgyzstan in the 57-kg division. The young fighter bid farewell to the competition due to an unexpected situation—a facial injury prevented him from continuing in the third and final round.
The Cuban dominated the first round, faltered in the second, and the injury caused the judges to show their scores from the few moments of the decisive period. The worst news followed: four out of five judges saw the Euro-Asian fighter, a world bronze medalist, as the dominant one, giving him a split decision win (3-2) and a path toward the medals.
As a result, Cuba now has only three boxers left in the competition: Julio César la Cruz, who also lost his debut to fellow Cuban Loren Berto Alfonso, representing Azerbaijan, as well as Alejandro Claro (51 kg), Erislandy Álvarez (63.5 kg), and Arlen López, the reigning champion from Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
López aims to become the fourth boxer to win the world’s premier multi-sport event three times. It’s worth noting that La Cruz was pursuing the same goal, but...
The record shows that only Hungarian Laszlo Papp (1948, 1952, 1956) and Cubans Teófilo Stevenson (1972, 1976, 1980) and Félix Savón (1992, 1996, 2000) have achieved such a feat.
Key Questions Surrounding Cuban Boxing at Paris 2024
Given the recent events at the Paris 2024 Olympics, some key questions have arisen regarding the performance and future of Cuban boxing. Here are some frequently asked questions and their answers.
What were the tactical instructions given to Saidel Horta?
The tactical instructions were to surprise his opponent with straight and explosive punches, which Horta followed in the first round but abandoned in the subsequent rounds.
Why was Saidel Horta's fight stopped?
Horta's fight was stopped due to a facial injury that prevented him from continuing in the third and final round.
How many Cuban boxers remain in the Paris 2024 Olympics?
Three Cuban boxers remain in the competition: Alejandro Claro, Erislandy Álvarez, and Arlen López.