HAVANA: Boxing powerhouse Cuba on Saturday staged a series of official female boxing matches for the first time since Fidel Castro’s 1959 Revolution, just a few weeks after lifting a taboo on the sport.
While women have been boxing for decades, in community and basement gyms, they were banned from the state-dominated sports system and competitions.
The 14 competitors in the seven fights were among 26 women already selected to receive special attention due to their promise to compete internationally for the Communist-run country. “I feel super proud.
Winning an official competition is a dream come true for me. We women have been waiting for this possibility for a long time,” Eliani de la Caridad Garcia, 27 and mother of a 2-year-old girl, told Reuters.